Falling For You
by VMorticia
Summary: KotOR story - my take on Revan and Malak's fall to the dark side. Female Revan. Chapter 16 - this is it, the Jaw Incident... enjoy. Readreview please.
1. Innocent

Falling For You  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything even vaguely Star Wars. I'm just playing around with this plot a bit, don't mind me. And none of the songs in the A/Ns are mine, either (though they do all apply to the chapter they're with, that's why they're there).  
  
Author's Notes: I couldn't leave the subject of KotOR at just two fics... and I couldn't wait for the sequel, either. This is the result of my fixation and impatience. Surprisingly enough, I'm projecting a lot of my own personal faults on Malak. I'm also using this fic to confront some aspects of my own dark side... we all have demons, just be grateful mine don't bite like Malak's (bad joke... really bad joke... sorry).  
  
"I was five and he was six,  
We rode on horses made of sticks,  
He wore black and I wore white,  
And he would always win the fight,  
Bang bang, he shot me down,  
Bang bang, I hit the ground,  
Bang bang, that awful sound,  
Bang bang, my baby shot me down."  
-Cher, Bang bang.  
  
x x x  
  
Chapter 1 - Innocent  
  
The six-year-old boy was sulking in the corner. As usual. This time, the corner he chose to sulk in was in the main entrance hall of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. He was advanced for his age, and he had been told there was a chance he would graduate to Padawan a few years earlier than normal. It didn't stop him being a moody loner, though. The other Padawans were all young teenagers, and he knew he would feel out of place. He felt out of place, anyway, at the best of times.  
  
He had always been a loner, but not through choice. He was a very social person, but he gave off an aura that seemed to make people think he didn't want them to bother him. The Jedi Masters were different, they weren't bothered by it... and Master Zhar could even be called relatively good company, since Zhar didn't patronise him, or treat him like a baby - he recognised that the boy was smart for his age, and treated him accordingly. But the other apprentices and Padawans, they gave the boy a wide berth.  
  
As the boy watched, the main doors opened, and Master Vrook appeared. This Master made Hoth look warm - he was the one that most of the apprentices feared... though for no real reason, as while he was strict, Vrook was not a threat... well, not to any of the Jedi, anyway.  
  
Vrook led a young girl by the hand. She couldn't have been older than five. She waved out the door, as it closed. The boy could just about make out two people waving back to the girl. A new apprentice. She had long jet-black hair, sapphire-blue eyes, and an aura that bubbled with energy, even through the sadness of leaving her family to become a Jedi. She clutched a small bag of belongings protectively, as Vrook led her further into the main hall. He stopped short, however, when he saw the boy watching them.  
  
He beckoned the boy, "Come here, apprentice."  
  
The boy pushed off the wall with one shoulder, and walked over to Master Vrook. If you judged by his attitude, you might say he slouched across the hall... but he held his shoulders straight, and only gave the impression of discontent through his aura and facial expression. "Yes, Master Vrook?"  
  
"Would you be so kind as to show this young lady around?" Vrook asked genially. The boy wasn't stupid - he knew an order when he heard one, "She has been assigned to residential level three. Once you have finished your guided tour, show her there and one of the female Padawans will take her to her room."  
  
The boy sighed, "Yes, Master Vrook." he turned to the girl, "Come on, kid."  
  
The girl frowned at him, but followed, "Why did Master Vrook tell you to show me around?" she asked, as the boy led her down a corridor.  
  
"Probably wants me to make friends." the boy grouched, "Since I don't have any here."  
  
"Oh..." the girl puzzled over this for a while, "I could be your friend."  
  
"It's ok... I don't need your pity, kid." he said coldly.  
  
"It's not pity." she retorted, "I don't have any friends here, either. I'm new, remember?"  
  
"With an outgoing personality like yours, you'll make friends in minutes." the boy noted.  
  
"Starting with you." she said determinedly.  
  
He sniggered, and pointed down a corridor they were walking past, "Training rooms are down there."  
  
She nodded, "Ok."  
  
After a few minutes of silent walking, they passed another corridor, "That way leads to the Council Chambers. Apprentices aren't allowed near it... but Padawans are, sometimes." She nodded again, and they continued walking.  
  
"You're very quiet." she noted.  
  
"I'm not used to talking to people."  
  
"It shows."  
  
"Thanks a lot." he muttered, "Down there is the dining hall. Good food, really. If you like bland and tasteless, I mean."  
  
She giggled, "Please tell me they have chocolate cakes?"  
  
"Sorry. No chocolate of any kind. No caffa, either."  
  
She pulled a face, "Who wants caffa?"  
  
"The Padawans complain about no caffa, all the time." he said, shrugging.  
  
"Why don't you have any friends?" she asked bluntly.  
  
He shrugged, "I just don't. No big deal, right?"  
  
"Just weird, is all." she muttered.  
  
"Yeah. A lot of people call me that." he said sulkily.  
  
"I didn't mean it like that." she protested, "I just wondered why."  
  
"No one my age likes to talk to me. Maybe you can tell me why, since you've actually come within five feet of me!" he snapped.  
  
"Ok... no need to get snappish." she grouched.  
  
"Sorry." he ran his fingers through his short dark hair, and looked at the floor for a minute, only looking up in time to note, "That way's the Knights' training area. I've heard they've got loads of cools practice-droids and stuff. We're not allowed in there, though."  
  
She nodded, and they kept walking. Eventually, they reached an elevator, in which the boy pressed a button for level three. On the ride down, he watched her, as she examined the interior of the elevator with interest.  
  
After a minute, however, "You're staring at me." she said bluntly.  
  
"I am?" he asked, surprised she had noticed without looking at him.  
  
She looked at him, and tilted her head to one side, grinning, "Actually, you're not just staring, you're gawping. If it were any more obvious, your jaw would have hit the floor."  
  
He sniggered, "Nice imagery." he muttered.  
  
She giggled, "Thanks." then after a short pause, "Are you sure you don't wanna be friends?" she asked.  
  
"I've never had a friend. How do I know if I want one or not?" he asked, a bit snappishly.  
  
"One way to find out." she noted.  
  
He grinned, "Thanks."  
  
"No problem. But if we're gonna be friends, I need to know your name." she said brightly.  
  
"My name's Malak." he said flatly, "What's yours?"  
  
"I'm Revan." she said, holding her hand out to him.  
  
He shook her hand, and smiled. His first real friend.  
  
x x x  
  
Eleven years old, Malak stood to attention in front of Jedi Master Zhar. The last of his tests to become a Padawan was scheduled for today. He had studied the Jedi Code, and constructed his lightsaber over the last few weeks. Now he was ready to face his final test.  
  
"Am I late?" a chirpy voice asked behind him. Revan scampered into the room eagerly. Malak raised an amused eyebrow as the hyper ten-year-old girl bounced on the balls of her feet, next to him - there was no caffa in the Temple, how did she manage to be so hyper all the time? Zhar watched her with one of those too-patient stares he was so good at, until she simmered down a bit and stopped jittering on the spot, "I made my lightsaber, Master Zhar. Look." she said, showing him the item in question.  
  
Malak's jaw dropped as he stared at it... but he had the presence of mind not to splutter with jealousy. It had taken him the better part of a week to get the crystal in his lightsaber aligned correctly. She was only given her crystal two days ago.  
  
Zhar blinked a couple of times, then took the lightsaber from Revan and examined it carefully. The girl watched with eager puppy-dog-eyes. After a minute, Zhar nodded slowly, "Impressive."  
  
"It took me three tries, Master Zhar... but I finally got it." she crowed proudly.  
  
"You did, indeed." Zhar said calmly, "Very well... you may undertake the test together."  
  
Revan grinned, "Cool."  
  
Malak smiled, "I didn't think you'd make it, Revan."  
  
"Oh, come on... it's not like it's a race." she said cheerfully.  
  
"Yeah, right. Then why did you run all the way down here?" he asked, his smile turning quickly into a grin.  
  
"Because I didn't want to let you face the final test alone. You've heard the same rumour I have." she said brightly.  
  
"What rumour might that be?" Zhar asked innocently.  
  
"Just Cassie's idea of a joke, Master Zhar. I'm sure there's no truth in it. No harm intended either." Revan said innocently.  
  
Malak frowned. He wasn't so sure of that. Cassie was a Padawan, who spent her free time in the company of the apprentices. She told all sorts of fascinating stories to the younger children, about adventures the Knights had been on. She also told them that the final test to become a Padawan involved duelling one of the Jedi Masters with a lightsaber.  
  
"Cassandra is not one to joke, Revan." Zhar said calmly, "I'm sure you know that."  
  
"Well, some of her stories are a bit far-fetched." Malak noted.  
  
"Where the Force is concerned, even the far-fetched can occur on a regular basis." Zhar answered.  
  
"So are the rumours true, then?" Malak asked.  
  
Zhar smiled, "It depends. What did she tell you?"  
  
The two apprentices looked at each other. Neither was about to admit to believing such a ludicrous rumour. They then effected equal looks of cuteness and innocence, and turned said expressions on Zhar.  
  
Zhar sighed, "I suppose I shall have to tell you myself." he said, smiling faintly, "You will have to fight an opponent who wields a lightsaber. But remember, while this is merely a test, you must understand that it symbolises a very real danger. For every Jedi the threat of the dark side is always present. Your lightsabers are not the only weapons you may fight with."  
  
He stepped aside, and the two apprentices looked around the room. There were no weapons of any kind within the room, besides the lightsabers they wore. Malak frowned, puzzling over Zhar's cryptic instructions.  
  
Revan tensed a second before the door opened on the far side of the room. Malak's reaction came a moment after he saw what stepped through the door. Concealed by black robes, with a half-mask covering the lower half of her face, stood a woman. Her piercing green eyes were lit by cold fire, contrasting sharply with her light tan skin. A strand of black hair was visible under the hood of the robe she wore.  
  
Revan glanced to Zhar, for a fraction of a second, before returning her full attention to this newcomer. "You will face her together." Zhar said calmly.  
  
"What, no help?" Revan asked.  
  
"This is your test, not mine." Zhar replied.  
  
Revan frowned, as the newcomer stepped forward. "Hi." Revan said brightly.  
  
The dark Jedi blinked, startled by Revan's behaviour.  
  
"My name's Revan. What's yours?"  
  
The dark Jedi circled the two apprentices. Malak gripped his lightsaber, but did not activate it yet. "My name is Kendra." the woman growled.  
  
Revan kept her eyes on Kendra, her hand slowly moving to the lightsaber on her belt, "Do we have to fight you?" she asked.  
  
"Oh, but of course." Kendra said, too-sweetly, "You pathetic children are no match for a true Sith." she drew two red lightsabers, one in each hand, and lunged at Revan.  
  
Revan blocked the first blow, and ducked to avoid the second. She lashed out at Kendra's ankle, but the woman was faster, and the kick only served to throw Revan off balance. Malak attacked immediately, defending Revan, and trying to drive Kendra back. Learning to fight with wooden swords had seemed a waste of time a year ago... now both apprentices were eternally grateful for the experience.  
  
Malak's duelling skills were not, however, up to fighting someone who wielded two lightsabers at once. Kendra quickly backed him against a wall, "Join me, child. You could be great." she said, her lightsaber hovering near his throat.  
  
Malak looked into her emerald eyes, steadily, "Sorry. Not interested." he said blithely.  
  
"You are a pathetic apprentice. You will never be a Master!" she snarled at him.  
  
But before Kendra could get the chance to hurt Malak, Revan had picked herself up and lunged at the dark Jedi, distracting her from Malak. Malak quickly recovered, and joined Revan in the fight. Together, they pushed Kendra back, and eventually the dark Jedi broke away from them, using the Force to leap over their heads, and back across the room.  
  
Malak made to charge after her, but Revan grabbed his arm, "Wait a sec." she told him.  
  
Malak held his lightsaber defensively, towards Kendra, but waited as Revan asked.  
  
Revan stepped towards Kendra, warily, "Why are you fighting us?" she asked, "Why did you fall to the dark side?"  
  
Kendra blinked, "The dark side offers greater power than you can ever imagine, child!"  
  
Revan looked at the woman carefully, "And is it worth the price?"  
  
"What? What are you talking about?" Kendra demanded. She was letting her guard down, and Malak's instincts told him to attack the enemy while she wasn't concentrating on him. But he would do as Revan asked, for now.  
  
"Is it worth the price... the bloodshed... for whatever fleeting power the dark side offers?" Revan asked.  
  
"I..." Kendra hesitated, then, "I can never go back. So what point is there in debating what might have been?!"  
  
It suddenly clicked with Malak. They were supposed to try to save this woman. When he said weapons other than lightsabers may be used... Zhar meant logic and reason. "You can always ask forgiveness." Malak said quietly... but Kendra heard him.  
  
"I could ask... it would never be given me." Kendra said bitterly.  
  
"Why? What have you done?" Malak asked, stepping forward to stand next to Revan.  
  
"Too many terrible things to count." Kendra said quietly, "It is too late for me."  
  
"It's never too late." Revan said, "There is no emotion. There is peace."  
  
Malak smiled faintly at that. Trust Revan to try to use one-liners to make everything all right.  
  
Kendra smiled - you could see it in her eyes, "Peace... yes..." she bowed her head to the two apprentices, "For ones so young, you show great wisdom."  
  
The sound of slow clapping came from a nearby corner. Both apprentices looked up sharply, to see Master Zhar clapping his hands. He smiled and walked towards them, "Well done. You have passed the test." he said calmly.  
  
Kendra removed the hood and half-mask, revealing a young-looking woman, with none of the markings of a Sith. She looked healthy and vibrant, and the smile she wore was one of amusement, "You fight well." she told Revan and Malak.  
  
"This was a role-play exercise, wasn't it?" Revan asked, eyeing Kendra with interest.  
  
"Yes. It was." Kendra said, "I have studied the Sith, and have confronted many who have fallen. It is safer than sending an apprentice to face a real dark Jedi." she ignited her lightsaber, and with a flourish, her blade passed within half an inch of Revan's arm, neck, chest, and shoulder, in that order. "But I have the lightsaber skills to avoid causing harm to you..." she deactivated her lightsaber again, "As well as the skill to defend myself from apprentices."  
  
"Though you are no longer mere apprentices." Zhar said calmly, "You have both proven yourselves worthy of joining the ranks of the Jedi. You have both now graduated to the rank of Padawan, and I am honoured to welcome such promising students to our Order."  
  
Revan bowed deeply, "Thank you, Master Zhar."  
  
Malak's bow was more tense, but just as grateful, "Thank you, Master Zhar." he echoed.  
  
"I am Jedi Master Kendra." the woman said, smiling, "And Malak has been assigned as my Padawan learner. Revan, you were to be assigned to Master Zhar." she glanced at Zhar, "But with his permission, I wish to take you both on."  
  
Zhar frowned, "It is highly unusual. But if that is your wish." he shrugged slightly, "We have had more students than Masters, since the great Sith Wars ended. It would perhaps be best this way."  
  
Revan stared for a second, before she said, "Cool."  
  
Kendra smiled, "You won't be saying that when you see what a strict teacher I can be, Revan."  
  
"Sorry, Master Kendra." Revan said, trying to keep a straight face.  
  
"I suggest you two go, for now." Kendra said calmly, "I shall meet you tomorrow, for your first lesson."  
  
Both Padawans bowed, "Yes, Master Kendra." they chorused, and then turned to leave.  
  
x x x  
  
Over the next few years, the two Padawans became practically inseparable. They attended the same history and science classes, studied their Jedi lessons together under Master Kendra's tutelage, and spent their free time together.  
  
Malak took extra lessons in combat, as a Jedi Guardian. Revan spent more time in the archives, studying anything from alien languages to cross-cultural mythology, in her training as a Consular class Jedi. Malak excelled in his use of the lightsaber and other bladed weapons, while Revan could quote anything from the recent Jedi history records, in any language you might choose. It was an interesting contrast.  
  
Master Kendra took both Padawans with her on the less risky assignments that came under her notice. They weren't interesting assignments, but they were all essential. The most interesting of them was on Revan's fourteenth birthday. Malak was also fourteen, though admittedly not for long.  
  
They were to go to the tertiary district of Coruscant - Kendra had been called to mediate in negotiations at the local power plant. From what they had heard, there were threats of a strike - if the strike occurred, it would mean total blackout for the whole district - that would be a disaster. Malak was sulking. Diplomatic missions bored him. Revan, however, was eagerly looking forward to the mission.  
  
Their Jedi Master was a somewhat eccentric teacher, who believed in letting her students figure things out for themselves. She was much older than she looked - she looked like she was in her late twenties, but she had recently told her Padawans that she was actually fifty-four... which is young for a Master, but she was experienced enough to train Padawans, even if she was not wise enough to be a part of the Council.  
  
Revan really liked Master Kendra. Malak also respected her, but wasn't so keen to please her. Kendra's teaching methods appealed to Revan only because the girl was eager enough to learn and reason. While Malak understood and respected such things, his first reaction in a fight was to win, then if the enemy survived, he might ask questions. He would never pick a fight, but if someone else started it, well that wasn't his fault, was it? Kendra didn't like this attitude.  
  
They entered the employee lounge of the power plant. It was a small room, with cheap-but-comfortable couches, and small tables dotted around it. It was incredibly informal, and Malak didn't like it. He was used to the ordered environment of the Jedi Temple, and while he tended to sulk from boredom in the Temple, here he sulked from mild revulsion and a desire to be elsewhere.  
  
"Ah, Lady Jedi." a stocky human man said, approaching them. He extended his hand to Kendra, "You're just in time. My name is Durst Burgoo. I am the manager of this facility." Kendra shook his hand, and he gestured to a scrawny woman wearing goggles, with a datapad in her hand, "This it my secretary, Katja." the woman smiled weakly, and waved nervously. She looked like she would also rather be anywhere but here.  
  
"And my name is Be'nin Starlink." a stocky Twi'lek man said, offering his hand to Kendra. She accepted it as well. "I'm the Union Representative, and this is my assistant, Travis." the shifty looking human man, with short greasy black hair, next to Be'nin smiled... or would you call that a sneer? Either way, it was insincere and cold.  
  
"And I am Jedi Master Kendra." Kendra said, nodding her head in a pass for a bow, "These are my Padawan learners, Revan and Malak."  
  
Revan smiled sincerely, and nodded to the two men in charge. Malak bowed curtly, but didn't show any emotion. If he had done, it have would been boredom and distaste, and that would just be plain rude.  
  
"Would you care to take a seat, then?" Durst asked congenially.  
  
Kendra nodded, "Yes, thank you." she said neatly in one of the armchairs, her posture nothing short of perfect.  
  
Durst sat in another armchair. Katja stood behind him, shooting wary glances at Travis, as if afraid of the younger man.  
  
Be'nin sat in the last remaining armchair in this small cluster of seats, and Travis stood nearby, eyeing Durst and Katja with dark amusement.  
  
Revan looked around the room for a second, before kneeling on the floor to Kendra's right, where she had a good view of the other inhabitants of the room, she looked like the good little obedient Jedi girl, but had a clear path to the door if needs be. Malak was not unaware of the way Revan had scoped out the room for threats the second she had entered. She wasn't an overly suspicious person, she was just thorough and cautious. Malak knelt on Kendra's left, if only for want of somewhere to sit - he sure as hell didn't like standing around when there was nothing interesting to do... but he didn't want to move out of earshot of the negotiations. You never know, he might learn something.  
  
"Now, can you fill me in on the details of the situation, please?" Kendra asked calmly.  
  
"Very well." Durst said, nodding, "The Union has just demanded-"  
  
"Requested." Be'nin interrupted.  
  
"-that their pay increase by twenty percent." Durst continued, "We cannot afford that, but they will not listen to reason."  
  
"You can afford the luxuries in the management lounge, yet a fifty credit pay-rise for the people who actually do the work isn't in your budget?!" Be'nin snapped.  
  
"Fifty credits each... for seven hundred workers." Durst replied coldly, "Damned right we cannot afford it!"  
  
"Gentlemen, please." Kendra interrupted, "I would prefer if you kept your offensive language to yourselves. My Padawans do not need to hear it."  
  
Durst's eyes narrowed, and he glared at both Padawans, "It's still too much money. We can't afford it."  
  
"Perhaps you could compromise?" Revan suggested.  
  
Durst and Be'nin both looked at the girl, surprised she would speak. They had thought she was just here to watch her Master work. Malak smiled faintly, leaning back against the leg of the chair, to watch the show. Revan's persuasive skills, even without the Force to aid her, were phenomenal.  
  
"How do you suggest we do that?" Durst asked coldly.  
  
Revan stood up, and looked to Kendra. The Jedi Master nodded slightly, effectively giving her permission to go ahead. Revan turned to face the two men, "Mr Starlink." she said politely to Be'nin. Malak was surprised at the formality - he had automatically thought of them on a first-name basis from the second they had introduced themselves. "For what reason are you requesting this pay-rise?"  
  
"Working conditions are a disgrace. Have you seen the main floor of the plant?" Be'nin asked. Revan shook her head. Be'nin continued, "Well, it's hardly worth the two-fifty a week we're being paid, to even dare inhale in that place!"  
  
Revan blinked a few times, her eyebrows raised in surprise at this, "You mean it smells bad?"  
  
"Exactly." Be'nin said flatly.  
  
Revan giggled, and turned to face Durst, "How about you clean the place up? How much would a cleaning droid cost?"  
  
"About three thousand." Durst answered.  
  
Malak did a quick calculation in his head, "That's less than twelve percent of the weekly pay-raise they're asking for." he said out loud.  
  
Kendra smiled, "Would this be an acceptable investment, to begin with?" she asked.  
  
"I... suppose so." Durst muttered.  
  
"Excellent." Kendra replied, "Revan, do please continue."  
  
Revan nodded, "All right. Assuming the place isn't a nerf-sty, anymore... what else is wrong?"  
  
Be'nin seemed surprised by her approach, "Well... we have practically no insurance. If one of us is injured, that's it, we're out of a job. It's not easy for Lower Level people to get a decent job if we're not in good health. The risks are quite high working around high-voltage systems."  
  
Revan nodded, and turned to Durst, "How much might it cost for med-bot treatments?"  
  
"How should I know?" he retorted snappishly.  
  
Kendra leaned forward, "It would likely not be too expensive to get basic healing and even limb-replacements at local medical facilities. And the risk of injury is actually quite low."  
  
"The odds of major injuries, including any possible fatalities, in that situation are five thousand six hundred and twenty-two to one against. The odds would improve if a cleaning droid were added to the mix." Malak noted, smiling faintly. He was good with information and numbers... but Revan was the one who was best with the practical application of this information, "With seven hundred workers, insurance would be a relatively safe risk."  
  
Kendra smiled, "Very good, Malak."  
  
Durst frowned, "All right. Say insurance for injury. What else do you want?"  
  
Be'nin seemed surprised that the negotiations were going so well, "Well... that's really the reasons we had..." he said, trailing off into a slightly stunned silence, "This is better than we expected."  
  
Kendra smiled, "Perhaps you should shake on the deal, then?" she suggested.  
  
Revan took a step back as Kendra stood. Malak also stood, and went over to stand next to Revan, "This was easy, wasn't it?" he asked her.  
  
Of course, one should never tempt the Force like that.  
  
"You stupid fools!" Travis snarled, mostly aimed at Durst and Katja, "You were supposed to refuse their demands!"  
  
Katja cringed, "Um... Travis... I meant to tell you this morning... I... erm... forgot to pass on your memo." she muttered.  
  
Travis blinked, "Bloody bureaucratic morons!" he snapped, "How does a death-threat get lost in the system?!"  
  
Death threat?  
  
"What are you on about?" Be'nin demanded.  
  
"Oh, please!" Travis laughed, "Well I can fix this little problem." he took out a thermal detonator, "Union representatives killed by self-serving management-types, so they can go on stuffing their wallets. Yes, the paparazzi will lap that one up. This station is going down, and when it does, the UnderDogs will be able to run wild!"  
  
"The UnderDogs?" Kendra asked coldly, "Aren't they one of those street-gangs from the underground levels?" she actually sneered at the man, "Pu-lease. They couldn't have planned something of this scale."  
  
"Oh, but we did." Travis jeered.  
  
"And you've got three Jedi standing in your way." Malak noted, "Give up while you've still got your limbs attached."  
  
"This plan has been in the works for months!" Travis snapped, "We're going to get what's coming to us, after years of mistreatment!"  
  
"Oh, you'll get what's coming to you, all right." Revan growled threateningly.  
  
"You used us." Be'nin said coldly, "You planned all this just to screw over the Upper Levels! How petty can you get? What did the Upper citizens ever do to you? Most of the people you're going to effect are innocent, they have no idea about you or your ridiculous grudge!"  
  
Revan took a step towards Travis, her eyes not leaving the detonator in his hand, "If you can apply and get a job in the Lower and Upper levels, like this... why are you still running in a gang?" she asked, "Why not try to pull the gang up with you, instead of pulling the Upper levels down to them?"  
  
"Don't you get it?" Travis laughed, "With the power out, that's exactly what I'll be doing! I'll be bringing the gang up to the Upper levels! We'll rule the whole city-sector!"  
  
Revan frowned, "I was speaking metaphorically. Help them become better people, as you could have from finding this job in the Upper levels."  
  
"Ha! Like we want jobs? Like we want to work in some stinking factory when we can run the streets?" Travis laughed, "That's funny, kid."  
  
Malak growled, his hand going for his lightsaber. How dare this self-centred moron insult Revan? He ought to gut this man with a hot poker... no... dark side, bad. Don't think that. It would be fun, though.  
  
Kendra put her hand on Malak's arm, and he immediately let his hand fall away from his lightsaber. Ok, let's not kill him... maybe just maim him a little, if he decided to actually try to set that detonator off. Yeah, that works.  
  
"You want to deactivate that detonator." Kendra said calmly, using the Force to back up her words. Malak saw the glazed look in Travis' eyes, as he deactivated the detonator. "You don't want to get yourself killed. You want to surrender peacefully. The authorities will be lenient."  
  
"I... I don't want to get killed. I'll surrender peacefully." he repeated obediently, "The authorities will be lenient... right?"  
  
Kendra smiled and nodded, "That's right." she turned to Malak, "Go fetch someone to take him into custody, would you?"  
  
He nodded and left the room.  
  
Now, with that as the most interesting, how mundane do you think the other assignments were?  
  
x x x 


	2. Fractured

Falling For You  
  
Author's Notes: All right, the first chapter was just a basic introduction of the characters. Now, it gets darker, I promise. This chapter is cruel, but it has to be done. Turning someone to the dark side involves pain, whatever way you look at it. Oh, and chocolate products for anyone who spots the South Park reference.  
  
RollingSkull: I do like to foreshadow, if that's what you mean. Well, they're older in this chapter, so you got your wish. As for the Revan-Malak-Kendra thing, you'll hate where it goes this chapter (so will Revan, for that matter)... but it's essential to the plot. And Malak's brooding was a kid/teenager thing... he'll get over it.  
Lord Valentai: Glad you liked it. I hope I don't disappoint you.  
Ozziegrl: Thanks.  
Niliav: I'd not call this fic a good one... it's going to be an evil one, lol. I put angst as the primary category for a reason.  
ether-fanfic: Thank you. There are other KotOR preludes/prequels on but I've not read any of them before. Yeah, I can't write little kids very well, which is why I didn't go into too much detail of their childhood - Charamei's little-kid!Malak is absolutely precious, though.  
Firera: You like Kendra, do you? Heh, she's based on Kendra from Buffy the Vampire Slayer... 'cept older. You'll see more of her in this chapter. Let's see if you like me after this, heh heh heh.  
snackfiend101: Heh, I'm not that good, surely. Yeah, Revan on caffa is a scary thought... wait till you get to know Derrin, though - now Derrin on caffa is a truly terrifying concept.  
Darth Arachne: No, it's not finished. I'm only writing chapter 9 (Korriban). I've not even got them to the Star Forge yet! I have all these plans for after the Star Forge, including the jaw incident, but I have to get there first.  
Prisoner 24601: The song lyrics are just in the author's notes - you are permitted to ignore them if you like, they've no bearing on the fic, beyond artisticness on my part. I think Jedi apprentices graduate to the rank of Padawan at about 13-16 depending on how mature they are (I'm not certain of this, you'd need to ask an expert)... Revan and Malak are both very gifted, however. I thought it would be unfair to make Revan better at everything... seems more realistic this way. Malak's skills will be useful in future, never fear.  
Rascarin: Thanks.  
Trunxluvr82190: Heh... glad you like it.  
  
"Part of me laughs, part of me cries,  
Part of me wants to question why,  
Why is there joy? Why is there pain?  
Why is there sunshine then the rain?  
One day you're here, next you are gone,  
No matter what, we must go on.  
Just keep the faith, and.  
Let love lead the way."  
-Spice Girls, Let Love Lead The Way.  
  
x x x  
  
Chapter 2 - Fractured  
  
"Hey, Malak." Revan's voice called, in a sing-song way. She had just wandered into the training room, where he had been practicing with his lightsaber against three training remotes. Both were now eighteen, though Malak's birthday was the next day.  
  
He deactivated the remotes, and turned his attention to Revan, "Yes?"  
  
"Did you know that Wookiee culture is based entirely around their planet's eco-system?" she asked cheerfully. Great, another lesson in cross-cultural beliefs. She never tired of this subject. "Their honour binds them to protect their world - it's kinda cool. Wish a few more humans thought like that."  
  
"Then we'd be living in trees." Malak muttered sulkily.  
  
Revan laughed, "Is that such a bad thing?"  
  
"I like my nice comfortable bed, and my durasteel floors and walls... and my sonic shower, thank you very much." Malak retorted.  
  
Revan grinned, "And did you know Mandalorians believe that-"  
  
"Revan." Malak whined.  
  
"What?" she asked pouting.  
  
"You know this stuff bores me."  
  
"But it might be useful, some day." she said, in her wheedling tone that could probably have got credits out of a Hutt.  
  
"When are we ever going to need to know about Mandalorian mythology, Revan?" Malak asked dryly.  
  
Revan shrugged, "It's good to know these things, Malak. Look, can I help it if multi-cultural beliefs interest me?"  
  
"Not really. But can I help it if they bore me to tears?" he asked right back.  
  
She sniggered, "You... tears... like that'd ever happen." she muttered.  
  
"Keep talking, angel." he teased, "Unless the subject leaves alien mythology inside the next half-hour..."  
  
"Is that a challenge?" she asked, grinning.  
  
"No!" he said quickly. She laughed, "Look, please change the subject?" he asked hopefully.  
  
Revan sighed, "Want to watch the holovid?" she asked.  
  
He raised an eyebrow, "The Temple's holovid only gets news channels."  
  
"It's better than mythology, right?" she asked, grinning.  
  
"Not by much." Malak muttered. Truthfully, he enjoyed Revan's company, but half the time he tuned out what she was actually saying, preferring to listen to the sound of her voice rather than the actual words. She could talk for hours about history and politics, and he didn't understand how she could do it. The whole subject could happily put Malak to sleep. In fact, their history teacher had been known to have to wake him up halfway through classes.  
  
"All right, you want the truth? I have a bet with Cassie, on the Taris Swoop Opener, and I wanna see who wins." she whispered, grinning impishly.  
  
"Right. I should have figured it was something like that." Malak muttered, smiling.  
  
She led the way towards the small lounge in which the holovid was kept. Malak followed a few steps behind her. He would probably have followed her anywhere, no matter what. And not just because he liked to look at her ass... though that certainly helped.  
  
"You don't have to walk behind me, Malak." she noted in a too-innocent tone that made him wonder if she'd known what he was thinking. More likely, she'd just guessed.  
  
"Why not?" he asked, just as innocently.  
  
"It's not like I'm your Master, or anything. Why do you always defer to me?" she asked. She stopped walking, and turned to face him.  
  
"Because you come up with better ideas than me." Malak answered immediately.  
  
"Right." she smiled, "And you always walk two steps behind me, why?"  
  
He shrugged innocently.  
  
She smirked, and shook her head, "Come on, let's go, before the race is over." she took his hand, and started walking. This forced him to walk alongside her for a change. It also sent a shiver up his hand and arm, that made it difficult for him not to grin stupidly... but he was a Jedi, and they have practice in not grinning like morons, so he managed to just about keep his expression neutral.  
  
They soon reached the lounge. The word 'lounge' was hardly appropriate, however. There was a holovid set to pick up only the news channels, a few relatively uncomfortable chairs, and the same atmosphere of tranquillity as the rest of the Temple. Well, there was until Revan walked in. The small cluster of Padawans there looked up to see Revan, as she made her typical grand entrance without even trying.  
  
"Hey, I didn't think you'd make it." Cassie said brightly.  
  
"Just change the channel already." Revan said, grinning, "So you can give me my credits."  
  
"Yeah, right." Cassie retorted, switching the channel to the Tarisian news.  
  
"And the last racer to take the track will be Trillian, racing for the Avid Serpents gang! Her last run was five seconds behind best time, and this is her last chance to catch up. Aydee, from the Sub-Ts, is looking set to win, with his time of thirty-six point four!"  
  
"I bet on the Serpents." Revan informed Malak.  
  
"And I bet Revan would be wrong." Cassie said flatly.  
  
"How much is this bet?" Malak asked warily.  
  
"And she's off. Wow, look at that Twi'lek fly!" the holovid announced.  
  
"Ten credits." Cassie said, "Nothing big. Wouldn't want the Masters to find out, now would we?"  
  
"Like they don't already know." Malak muttered. He was fairly certain that literally nothing happened within the Temple that the Masters were unaware of. Especially Vrook - he seemed to make it his business to butt into other people's business.  
  
"Thirty six point three-six!" the announcer shrieked, "Trillian wins! The Avid Serpents win this year's Season Opener!" the cheers from the holovid rang through the room.  
  
"I was certain the Beks would win..." Cassie muttered.  
  
"It sure was a close race, this year, wasn't it?" the announcer was saying, his closing speech, "But I'd like to assure you all that the Bek rider is going to survive to fight another day. The accident wasn't as fatal as it looked. Bek deputy, Brejik Thek is claiming they were sabotaged by the Sub-Ts... but since the Serpents won anyway, it's a mute point. But that's all we have time for, folks. Tune in next week for the second race, on this year's Taris Swoop Season!"  
  
"Hand over the credits, Cassie." Revan said, grinning at the older Padawan. Cassie was a bit too immature to graduate to the rank of Knight, even though she was twenty-six. Therefore, her habit of hanging out with the apprentices had mutated into a habit of hanging out with the younger Padawans. And losing her money to Revan, more often than not.  
  
Cassie sighed, and rooted out a ten-credit chip, which she threw at Revan. Revan caught it easily.  
  
"We interrupt this broadcast-" the news bulletin cut across an advertisement for the Manaan swoop season, starting in two months time, "-to bring you this breaking news from the Outer Rim. The Mandalorian threat that has been terrorising planets just outside our borders has now attacked the Republic itself."  
  
As if as one entity, everyone in the room looked at the holovid, suddenly.  
  
"A simultaneous strike hit three Republic planets on the Outer Rim." the announcer continued, "As seems to be the pattern with the Mandalorian threat, the attacks were unprovoked, and wiped out civilians, women and children with the same viciousness as they dispatched any soldiers that got in their way. The death tolls for all three planets hit is estimated at ninety-eight percent. The Republic government has declared war against the Mandalorians, in retaliation for these three civilian worlds. The planets hit were Siraun, Vardas, and Deralia."  
  
Revan blinked a few times, then whispered, "Deralia?" in a horrified squeak.  
  
She had never told Malak what planet she was from, but her reaction told him that, at the very least, Deralia was very important to her. "Revan?" Malak asked, concern clear in his tone.  
  
"They... they can't... my home." tears ran down her face, and she wasn't even trying to contain her emotions. Malak wasn't an empath, but even he could sense her pain through the Force.  
  
Cassie's eyes widened, and all the Padawans in the room were totally stunned. Revan may have been chirpy and bright, rather than the typical reserved Jedi, but yet no one had seen her lose control of her emotions since the one time when she was six, and one of her fellow apprentices, named Derrin, had stolen her cuddly toy. But as she sank to her knees, sobbing in the middle of the holovid lounge, the waves of emotion and pain radiating from her left her childhood temper-tantrum miles behind in the ranks of 'Revan's worst outbursts'.  
  
Malak knelt behind her, and wrapped an arm gently around her shoulders, trying to comfort her. She shrugged him off, both physically and psychically, sending a wave of anger at him, along with an audible growl. He backed off, He didn't know what to say or do. He looked up at the other Padawans, who just shrugged helplessly. He rolled his eyes - lot of use they are. "Revan..." but before he could even think of anything comforting to say, she stood up sharply, and stormed out of the room. The echo of her pain remained in the room when she left, oppressive, like the silence.  
  
The group of Padawans looked at each other for a minute, before Malak left hurriedly.  
  
x x x  
  
He followed the trail she left in the Force - her emotions cut a swathe through the calm of the Temple, like a lightsaber through flesh... it left the same pain and burns, even. Her path was erratic, and she must have been running, for the number of times she doubled back and yet he didn't catch up with her.  
  
Eventually, he lost her trail. He sighed and leaned against a nearby wall. Her homeworld... gone... just like that. It hurt him even imagining the concept - even thinking about it happening to someone else's world. He couldn't imagine how she felt. He didn't want to, either. But he did want to try to make her feel better... though he doubted he could do any good.  
  
"Is something the matter, Padawan?" Kendra's voice asked. She sounded tense - she could no doubt sense the shattered calm throughout this level of the Temple.  
  
"We just saw a news holocast." he said blankly, "Revan's homeworld was hit by the Mandalorians."  
  
Kendra paled, "Oh dear. That is terrible news." her tone didn't waver, but her eyes looked worried, "Someone should see that Revan is all right. We would not wish her to do something foolish - she will undoubtedly be incredibly hurt and angry. These feelings are dangerous in a Jedi."  
  
Malak nodded slowly, "I was looking for her - trying to follow her after she ran off." he said, frowning, "I wanted to try to help... but I don't know how. I can't imagine how she must be feeling."  
  
Kendra sighed, "You are probably the best person to comfort her. You are close friends. Talk to her. Such powerful emotions cannot be pushed aside as you have both been trained to do." she put a hand on Malak's shoulder and guided him towards one of the elevators, and pressed the button to level three, "Get her to let out her tears... possibly even lash out at a pillow, or some other harmless outlet for her anger. And remember the Code, Malak. You can help her through this." she patted his shoulder, "If anyone questions your presence, tell them I gave you permission. Revan is in room seven."  
  
The elevator door opened onto the female Padawans' accommodation level.  
  
Malak hesitated, and glanced at Kendra, "Just don't do anything I might disapprove of." she said, smiling. The glint in her eyes said exactly what she meant... like she'd known what he was thinking. Aside from the fact he wouldn't take advantage of Revan in this state, he also wouldn't break that particular rule anyway. Who knew how voyeuristic the Jedi Masters were, after all?  
  
"Thank you, Master Kendra." he said gratefully.  
  
"May the Force be compassionate to you." she said quietly. She rarely used the Jedi saying 'May the Force be with you' - she preferred to adapt it to the situation. She had often used 'May the Force protect you' and 'May the Force aid your quest', but rarely did she quote the Jedi saying. It seemed to hold more genuine meaning when she did that, rather than the platitude that most of the Masters spouted without feeling.  
  
Malak warily walked down the corridor. He had never gone beyond the elevator on this level before - it was off-limits to the male inhabitants of the Temple, just as the male accommodation block was off-limits to females. Even as small innocent children, they had never been allowed to enter each other's living quarters. He hadn't understood that rule until he grew up and realised the logic... the same logic that discouraged emotional attachments. He didn't have to like it, but he did understand it.  
  
He found room seven, and knocked cautiously.  
  
"Go away!" Revan's voice snapped.  
  
Well, at least he had the right room. Malak tried to open the door, but it was locked. Figures. He wasn't about to shout at Revan, while he was in the female accommodation block - that would only draw unwanted attention, most likely hostile... possibly involving flying shoes and screamed insults. Especially if Cassie got back to her room already.  
  
Instead, he tried to slice the lock. But that was impossible - it was computer-sealed. He would need a password. Brilliant, just brilliant.  
  
What sort of password would Revan use? It could be anything! It could be in some alien language Malak didn't even understand! He could only think of one thing Revan might consider personal... "Mr Fuzzems." he said it very quietly, because he did not want anyone to overheard him and resurrect the running joke Derrin had started when he stolen Revan's stuffed Ewok. She had once told Malak that said stuffed toy - Mr Fuzzems - had been named when she was three, so he didn't consider the name that ridiculous - for a three-year-old, it was quite imaginative, actually. Miraculously, the door opened. "Who'd have thought?" he muttered quietly, slightly awed. He shook his head and slipped into her room, closing the door behind him.  
  
The room was neat and ordered, with very few personal possessions. There was a small desk, on which sat many datapads. The drawers next to the bed were all closed, and lacked any clothing hanging out over the edges, which was more than could be said for Malak's attempt at organising his room. There were two holopics on her bedside table, one of a handsome man in his late thirties with fair hair and blue eyes, and the other of an austere black-haired woman about the same age, also with blue eyes. Between the two holopics sat the ratted stuffed Ewok that was the infamous Mr Fuzzems, which she had refused to throw away - she didn't play with it anymore, but she kept it because her parents had given it to her, and she had wanted a connection to them. Malak assumed the holopics were probably of her parents, too.  
  
"I said go away." Revan growled, "And how the hell did you get in here?"  
  
She was lying on her bed, face-down. Her voice was muffled, and the sheets were a mess, like she'd been tossing and turning a bit. Maybe taken a few punched at the pillows, or something.  
  
"Your password was... too easy to guess." Malak said, smirking.  
  
She looked up at him suddenly... then sat up quickly, staring at him. Her off-white Jedi robes were rumpled and creased from the way she had been lying. "What are you doing in here?!" she demanded, "You could get in so much trouble for being here."  
  
Malak shrugged, "I don't care. I had to see how you were."  
  
She frowned, "I feel like hell." she said coldly.  
  
He slowly walked over to her, and sat next to her, "You want to talk about it?"  
  
"Why bother? You never listen, anyway." she muttered sulkily.  
  
"You'd be surprised." he said, "I actually listen to most of what you say... unless you start talking about mythology, that is."  
  
She looked at him for a minute, then said quietly, "It's like my whole past has just been ripped out from under me. My family, my life, my home... gone, just like that." she snapped her fingers, then quickly wiped her eyes with the same hand, which only served to make the tear-stains on her cheeks more noticeable.  
  
He had no idea what to say. So, instead of trying to speak and invariably making a fool of himself, he reached out gingerly, and put his hand on her shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting way. As soon as he did it, she all-but lunged at him, wrapping her arms around him, and started sobbing on his chest.  
  
Malak tried to ignore the fact that they were alone in her room, on her bed. He tried not to think about how he had imagined this sort of scenario might go, because in his fantasies she wasn't crying her heart out. He gently wrapped his arms around her, running his fingers through her hair, as she cried.  
  
"They're gone... I'll never see them again." she whimpered.  
  
Malak frowned, still holding her protectively, "You would likely not have seen them again anyway. You knew that when you joined the Jedi." he was trying to make her see logic - she usually responded well to logic, and he had always thought on this pragmatic level. "Besides, two percent survived, out of the billions of people who inhabited those three planets - there is a chance your family survived. Even if they didn't make it, they would have joined the Force, and you would never be without them."  
  
She frowned, here eyes now wide open, as she stared at the tears she had left on his navy Jedi robes. Slowly, she looked up at his face, "You're right. I... I shouldn't act irrationally. I thought I had learned to control my emotions better than this."  
  
"No one's perfect." Malak said quietly, "It's what makes us human. You're allowed to grieve, you know. Just don't lose your sanity when you do."  
  
"I want them dead." she said quietly.  
  
"What? Who?" he asked, stunned.  
  
"Every last scum-ridden core-slime serving under the banner of Mandalore." she hissed. She was serious. The venom in her voice scared him.  
  
"Whoa, slow down, angel." Malak said, fear creeping into his tone, "Revenge won't solve anything."  
  
"I should have been there to protect my family." she said, staring into thin air across the room.  
  
"If you had, they would likely have killed you. One Jedi is no match for a hoard of Mandalorians on war-droids." Malak said quickly.  
  
Her gaze darkened as she continued to stare at thin air, "If you want something badly enough, the Force can do anything. To a Mandalorian, you are weak if you do not defend your clan, your home, and your family. I should have been there for them, rather than here learning how to levitate feathers, damnit!" as she snarled the last word, the nearest plasteel window cracked - it was a tough enough material not to shatter, but the sudden snapping sound and the brand new diagonal line across the plasteel startled both of them.  
  
"Calm down, Revan! Please."  
  
She stared at the window. The crack didn't even let air through, but it looked bad. "You're right..." she said quietly, "I need to stay calm."  
  
Malak could sense the anger in her. Justified as it was, it was still dangerous. "I know it must hurt... but lashing out at whatever's in reach won't help anyone." he said quietly.  
  
She nodded, and leaned against him again. He continued to run his fingers through her hair, until she silently cried herself to sleep. Then he gently laid her down on the bed, and left.  
  
x x x  
  
Over the next year and a half, Malak could practically set his chronometer by Revan's weekly visits to the Jedi Council Chambers. Every week, she would request, demand, beg to be allowed to go and help the Republic fight the Mandalorians. Every week, the Jedi Council refused. And every week, the Council gave an explanation that temporarily sated her anger. She always seemed calmer after these 'meetings', and in Malak's opinion, she needed this reasoning to keep her from flying off the handle. But he kept this opinion to himself.  
  
On a couple of occasions, he found her abusing the practice droids in the training room, taking out her anger on the unfortunate, and thankfully non-sentient, machines... lightsabers, training swords, her bare hands... it didn't matter, as long as she could vent. They both knew this was better than letting it fester, and he never questioned it. He would probably do the same thing, if his home had been destroyed... not that he knew how he would react, because his parents lived on Alderaan, which was safely away from the war.  
  
x x x  
  
Shortly after Revan's twentieth birthday, the Jedi Masters summoned both Padawans to the Council Chambers. Master Zhar addressed them, "It is time for both of you to be tested. To see if you are ready for the responsibility of becoming Jedi Knights. As you have both trained and progressed together, you shall be tested together. Master Kendra has devised an imaginative test for you, and we are in agreement that it will be more effective, in your personal circumstances, than the standard tests."  
  
Revan's eyes lit up, but her expression remained neutral, "Thank you, Master Zhar. It is an honour." she bowed. Malak nodded in agreement, and also bowed.  
  
"You shall both proceed to the rooftop of the Temple, where you will meet Master Kendra. She shall explain your trial." Zhar said calmly.  
  
Both Padawans replied, "Thank you, Master Zhar." and bowed again, before turning to leave.  
  
"Any ideas what this test is?" Revan asked, as they walked towards the elevator.  
  
"Not a clue." Malak answered, "We don't even have Cassie telling us rumours, this time. If we did, we could likely eliminate them, since this test is 'imaginative'."  
  
"From Kendra, that idea makes me nervous." Revan admitted.  
  
"She wouldn't do anything to hurt us." Malak replied, his tone gentle, "Besides, the whole Jedi Council agreed to it."  
  
"Which is unusual." Revan noted, "Since Kenny's stunts are the reason she's not on the Council."  
  
"Will you desist in calling me that!" Kendra's voice practically whined behind them. Revan had dubbed Master Kendra with the nickname 'Kenny', about three weeks after they had begun to train under her. But even though Revan only used the nickname when she believed Kendra couldn't hear her, Kendra was good at finding things out... all the Masters were.  
  
"Sorry, Master Kendra." Revan said, her amused grin only showing in her eyes - she had become incredibly good at keeping her emotions off her face.  
  
Kendra stepped onto the elevator, and beckoned the two Padawans to do the same. Once the door closed, she held out her hands, "Give me your lightsabers."  
  
Revan and Malak looked at each other, surprised at this request. A Jedi's lightsaber is a very personal possession, and not something they would just give away. Most would not even allow another Jedi to handle their personal lightsaber. But Kendra was their Jedi Master, and they both trusted her. Malak took out his lightsaber, and handed it to Kendra, first. Revan hesitated for a second, before handing over her own lightsaber, as well.  
  
"Are either of you carrying anything else that could count as a weapon?" Kendra asked.  
  
"Well, Revan's interest in mythology counts - it could bore someone to death." Malak joked. Kendra gave him a pointed look, and he looked at the floor.  
  
"I shall take that as a no." Kendra said calmly, "It is vital for this exercise that you only take these as weapons."  
  
Kendra handed them what looked like lightsabers. The two were identical to each other, and were quite different from both their unique lightsabers. Revan examined her new weapon with interest, "Why these?"  
  
"I shall explain after the test." Kendra said calmly, "Now, remember the Jedi Code, both of you. Be prepared for anything. I suggest you take opposite directions as soon as you enter the garden."  
  
The elevator door opened, and both stepped out through the short corridor, onto the rooftop. Kendra waited behind in the corridor. The rooftop was covered in an ornamental garden. There were trees and hedges separating several patio areas. Revan turned left, and Malak turned right.  
  
Malak circled around one of the hedges, and then turned left into the first patio. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, but what he found was the last thing he expected. The figure wore all black, a hooded cloak concealing face and body alike - he couldn't even discern gender. It spotted him almost immediately, and emitted a feral snarl, lunging at him with a crimson lightsaber.  
  
He drew the lightsaber Kendra had given him - it also bore a red blade. He blocked his opponent, and spun to kick it back. The hood slipped, and the ash-white skin, lank black hair, and glowing golden eyes of a Sith woman were revealed. She looked so familiar it sent chills up his spine. He saw her in his nightmares. In every one of these dreams, she killed him... and he woke up with his mouth open in a silent scream. His other nightmares (including the one about wandering the Jedi Temple naked, and being laughed at by the Jedi Masters) made him scream out loud, but she was... special. She terrified him.  
  
"What are you?" he asked her, fearfully. He was sure he knew the answer. She was pure unadulterated evil.  
  
"I am the angel of death." she hissed, "And you will fall to my blade, you vermin!" she attacked again. The battle was fierce, and it lasted for several minutes. He was practically reliving the nightmare. She beat him back with pure fury, her anger fuelling her, giving her unnatural strength.  
  
He tried to evade her, but she was determined. "Who are you?" he tried again.  
  
She hesitated for a fraction of a second, "Yes, you should know my name before I kill you." she said, almost as if she believed it was a meagre honour that he only just deserved, "My name is Revan."  
  
His eyes widened, "Revan? What the-?" but his question was interrupted by another vicious onslaught - she backed him into a wall, and disarmed him, by hitting his wrist sharply with the heel of her hand, and pinning it with a durasteel grip.  
  
But then she froze. His instincts told him to take advantage of this hesitation... the darkness he could sense in her made his skin crawl, such pure evil that must be vanquished. But he didn't attack when he could have.  
  
"Something isn't right." she said, staring at his pinned wrist. She tilted her head to one side, still staring. "I see armour, but I feel flesh. I sense darkness, but you try to reason." she looked into his eyes, "Who are you?"  
  
"How can you not recognise me, Revan?" Malak asked.  
  
"Humour me." she said coldly. It suddenly registered with him that she said she saw armour.  
  
"An illusion... it must be." he said quietly, "I'm Malak... why? Who do I look like?"  
  
"Mandalore..." she whispered. Then after another moment's hesitation, "Prove you are who you say you are."  
  
"Would Mandalore know about Mr Fuzzems?" Malak asked pointedly.  
  
Revan spluttered, and let him go, "Force, I should hope not!" she said indignantly, "Oh, thanks a lot! I'm now going to have dreams about Mr Fuzzems duelling Mandalore, and winning!" she laughed. It felt so wrong, to see this dark illusion laugh - such an innocent sound, when he could sense such darkness, when she looked like evil incarnate.  
  
Malak smiled, though the eerie contrast he was looking at made any laughter he may have felt die before he even opened his mouth. "But why do you look like... like a Sith?" he asked her.  
  
She blinked, "Wow, that must be weird for you..." she said quietly, "I mean, talking to you, I can picture your face under that armour... but..."  
  
"Yeah..." he frowned, "Why, though?"  
  
"Maybe this is our test..." Revan said, shrugging, "To face our worst nightmares?"  
  
"Yes, you are correct, Revan." Kendra said, approaching them.  
  
"With all these illusions running rampant..." Malak noted, "How can we be sure you really are Master Kendra?" though his tone made it clear he wasn't serious.  
  
Kendra smiled, amused. With a wave of her hands, Revan suddenly looked like herself.  
  
Revan then looked at Malak, "Thank the Force - that illusion was beginning to creep me out." she said gratefully.  
  
Kendra smiled at them both, "You have passed your test."  
  
"What would have happened if one of us had managed to hit the other with our lightsabers?" Malak demanded.  
  
Kendra held her hand out to Revan, who handed her the lightsaber she held. Kendra activated the blade, "Do you trust me, Malak?"  
  
Malak frowned, "Yes." he said... his tone was apprehensive - if she thought this was something she needed to ask, he had a right to be concerned.  
  
Before he even saw it coming, she ran the blade through his chest. It hurt a bit, but it was nowhere near as painful as he imagined it should feel. When she pulled the blade back, he realised there was no wound. "These lightsabers have been modified. They parry off each other, but they don't cut anything. Stings a bit, if it passes through you, but other than that, they're perfectly harmless." Kendra explained. "Your test was to see if it was possible for you to see reason when faced with that which you fear or loathe the most." she continued, "And you both passed." Kendra put her thumbprint on the datapads that declared both Padawans to have graduated to the rank of Jedi Knight. She then handed the certificates to the two of them. "Congratulations, both of you."  
  
"Thank you, Master Kendra." Revan and Malak chorused gratefully.  
  
x x x  
  
They were walking back towards the exit from the rooftop. Both Knights now had their own lightsabers clipped to their belts again.  
  
Suddenly, a shriek rang out, cutting through the night air, reaching them from the next building away. It was definitely female... and it sounded terrified. The victim's words were barely intelligible, "Help! Help me! He's going to kill me!"  
  
Kendra's eyes widened, and she bolted to the edge of the roof nearest the source of the scream.  
  
"This isn't part of our test, is it?" Revan asked warily.  
  
"Of course not." Kendra said coldly.  
  
"Didn't think it was." Revan replied.  
  
"Can you jump that far?" Kendra asked.  
  
"One way to find out..." Revan answered, climbing onto the wall of the roof, and leaping, aided by the Force, to the next building. She landed gracefully, and started running in the direction the scream had come from.  
  
"That girl is incorrigible." Kendra said quietly, before following Revan.  
  
Malak shrugged, and followed Kendra. He landed a lot less elegantly, almost falling on his face, and quickly scrambled after the two women.  
  
He rounded the corner to find a short man wearing a ridiculous white hat, aiming a blaster at a red-haired woman. The woman was well-dressed, likely a business woman of some sort. Kendra and Revan were both standing back, in a stance that said they were ready to attack this short man if he even thought about pulling that trigger, even though their hands weren't actually anywhere near their lightsabers.  
  
"What is going on here? Who are you?" Kendra demanded. Malak slowly approached the other two Jedi, assuming the same stance, ready to attack.  
  
"The name's Calo Nord." the short man said calmly, "Not that you'll live to tell anyone."  
  
He moved with such speed that Malak didn't see it until it was too late. Calo turned and fired three shots at the three Jedi. The first hit Kendra, point-blank. The second only missed Revan because she used the Force to speed up enough to dodge it. The third grazed Malak's arm, as he also used the Force to try to dodge it. While Calo was distracted by this, the woman he had been harassing made a run for it.  
  
Revan charged Calo Nord, still using the Force to move faster than Malak could really follow. Revan's lightsaber sliced through the blaster in Calo's hand, and she held the blade near the shorter man's throat. Calo stared at the ruined blaster, for a second.  
  
"That was my favourite blaster." he noted, his voice void of emotion, "Curse you, Jedi." he turned and ran, before Revan could attack him.  
  
Malak knelt next to Master Kendra, and examined the blaster wound. "Oh, Force, no. He's killed Kendra." he said, loud enough for Revan to hear.  
  
Revan glanced at Malak for a fraction of a second, then turned to see Calo running for a speeder. "Calo Nord, you bastard! Get your short ass back here so I can kill you!" she yelled.  
  
She took only two steps, running after Calo, before a voice stopped her, "You will do nothing of the sort!"  
  
Revan turned sharply, to see... well, it looked and sounded like Master Kendra... but it was see-through, and Kendra's body was a few feet away. Revan just stared at this apparition.  
  
"You will not avenge me, and you will not grieve." Kendra's ghost - that's what it must have been - said.  
  
Revan continued to stare, dumbstruck.  
  
"Master Kendra...?" Malak started, but he couldn't think what to say next. He stood up slowly, looking from Revan to the ghost, and back again.  
  
"Yes, Malak." Kendra said calmly, "Now, Revan, promise you will not avenge me."  
  
Revan frowned, "If that is your wish, Master Kendra." she said quietly.  
  
"And know that all who join the Force as I do now are at peace. There is no need for revenge... for any of us." the ghost disappeared, then.  
  
Revan clenched and unclenched her fists a few times, gritting her teeth. After about a minute, she looked up at Malak, "She's dead..." her voice cracked, "Why does everyone I care about die?!"  
  
"Revan... you heard what she said." Malak said, his tone wavering. He was still in shock. He hadn't ever considered the possibility that Master Kendra could die. It just never occurred to him that she was mortal. But now that she was... dead... he still considered the logical course of action. She wanted them to let her go - not to grieve - so that was what he would do. He had to make Revan understand this, though.  
  
"I shouldn't seek vengeance." she said quietly, "Very well. If that is her wish. Wait here." Revan turned on her heel, and made her way towards the edge of the roof. She leapt back to the Temple rooftop, and disappeared into the building itself.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, a small group of Jedi Knights arrived on the rooftop, and found Malak kneeling next to Kendra's body. He looked up at them silently, and then stood, stepping aside to allow them to take her body back to the Temple.  
  
x x x 


	3. Hatred

Falling For You  
  
Disclaimer: Aside from the given, that I don't own anything even vaguely Star Wars, several characters names and attributes were also borrowed from various sources - in fact, Derrin, Cassie and Rangar are the only three I think I invented myself (and the Admiral, but I don't like him so I'm not claiming him). Chocolate products go to anyone who can spot who's from where.  
  
Author's Notes: Now for the Mandalorian wars. I'm focusing on the less honourable Mandalorians, because they're less predictable, more fun, and generally more conductive to my plot than their more honourable comrades (who vastly outnumber the dishonourable few I focus on.  
Niliav: ::hands Niliav a bar of chocolate::... yeah, the poor dear... these sort of bad things come in threes... though the next one's not till chapter 6... mwahahahahahaa!  
snackfiend101: That's why I wrote Malak as a teen... even the worst bad-guy was a kid at some stage or other. As for Spice Girls, I just liked the song... I don't give a flying fur-ball who sings songs I like, as long as I like them - I hold no grudges against specific singers/groups... the only exception I have to this is that I love Meatloaf.  
ether-fanfic: Thanks... here be Mandalorians.  
Firera: Um, I killed her at the end of the chapter... so I'll assume you meant so early in the story... I had to kill her off, because she'd have been able to stop Revan from going off half-cocked into the Mandy-wars. It should get very dark... especially after they become Sith (though chapters 6 and 9 are pretty dark, too, and they're before the Star Forge.  
Lord Valentai: I do run the story through MS-Word's grammar checker, before I post, but I know the program isn't infallible... I did think the if a quote ended with a full stop, but the sentence around it wasn't finished, that inconsistency was excusable... hmm... I'll try to be more careful in future. She did see a lightsaber, but she had too much hatred for Mandalore to care what weapon he wielded. Thanks for the criticisms - I'll try to cut down on my bracket-usage - it does help when reviews point out things I can improve.  
RollingSkull: Of course - you know me too well, I'm evil, so logically I'll kill off characters. Funny thing, Revan won't personally make her first kill until chapter 6.  
Ozziegrl: Glad you like it. Heh, you thought chapter 2 was emotional? Wait till chapter 6. As for me putting my own feelings into my fics, when Malak loses his jaw, you'll get a few of my own personal medical experiences incorporated amongst Malak's ::insert evil cackling here::.  
Rascarin: That wasn't a mistake - she pushed him away with a wave of psychic venom, so I thought the wording was appropriate. But you're not stupid.  
whisper524: Thank you ::bows::.  
Darth Arachne: It takes a lot of bad things to happen to a kid to turn them into an evil monster like Darth Revan - I had to do this to her. Yes, 27... which, if you look at the Carth/Revan/Dustil thing, she's actually closer to Dustil's age than Carth's ::evil grin::. The romance, you'll find out in detail in chapter 4.  
  
"What am I to do to win my life? (You will find it out, don't worry)  
How am I supposed to know what's right? (You just gotta do it your way)  
I can't help the way I feel,  
But my life has been so over-protected.  
I tell them what I like, what I want, and what I don't,  
But every time I do, I stand corrected,  
Things that I've been told, I can't believe,  
What I hear about the world, I realise, I'm over-protected."  
-Brittney Spears, Over-Protected.  
  
x x x  
  
Chapter 3 - Hatred  
  
"You can't stop me!" Revan's voice yelled. Malak was waiting outside the Council Chambers, while Revan made one of her routine visits to the Council. This one didn't sound quiet so routine, however. "I'm tired of these excuses! Either tell me why we won't protect those innocent civilians out on the Outer Rim, or I'm leaving - now! Either way, I will join this war!"  
  
Malak had to strain to hear Master Vrook's voice, even though the Jedi Master had raised his voice in response to Revan's yelling, "The Council has its reasons, Revan. It is best that we not join the fight, at this point."  
  
"At what point do we go, then?!" she demanded.  
  
"There is a danger out there beyond the Mandalorians." Vrook said coldly, "While that threat is out there, we cannot risk sending Jedi into the unknown. The Republic-"  
  
"Is getting slaughtered without our help!" Revan interrupted, "I'm going! You can't stop me!"  
  
"Revan!" Vrook snapped. The doors burst open, and Revan stormed out of the Council Chambers, heading for the elevator.  
  
Malak watched her go for a second, then slipped into the Council Chambers, "Um... I couldn't help but overhear..."  
  
Zhar sighed, "Perhaps you can talk her out of this course of action, Malak?"  
  
"Talk Revan out of something?" Malak barely avoided laughing in the Jedi Master's face for this suggestion, "I'm amazed you talked her out of it every week for the last two years." Malak noted, "She's incredibly stubborn."  
  
"Yet she may listen to you." Zhar said calmly, "You are her closest friend."  
  
"Thought you discouraged emotional connections?" Malak asked.  
  
"It is discouraged, yes." Zhar answered, "But when such a connection is formed, there is no point denying it. She may listen to you, because you are her friend. It is imperative that she does not go on this foolhardy mission."  
  
"Why?" Malak asked, "To be perfectly honest, I think Revan has the right idea. What is it you're afraid of, out there? Is it that bad that we would leave the Republic to get beaten to a pulp, rather than help them?"  
  
"Yes, it is that bad." Vrook said coldly, "There is a great darkness out there. We do not wish to risk the safety of any Jedi who would fight there. War is inherently filled with anger and hate. Combined with the darkness beyond the Mandalorian threat, we believe it would do more harm than good to send those strong in the Force into that situation."  
  
Malak frowned, "I'll go and talk to her." he said, quietly.  
  
He had no intention of talking her out of it. He'd seen her pain, and thought she actually had every right to feel this anger. It hurt her every day that passed without some hope of the Mandalorians being stopped. He would go with her, and try to protect her from whatever the Masters sensed out there.  
  
x x x  
  
He found Revan trying to steal one of the Order's speeders, in the garage level. "Need a hand with that?" he asked, hopping into the passenger seat on the speeder.  
  
"I am perfectly capable of hotwiring a speeder, thank you very much." Revan retorted.  
  
"Yes, I know that well enough." Malak said, smirking. He remembered the time they had taken one of these speeders down to the undercity, where they had broken at least four laws that he was aware of. No one had yet discovered this, however, and they were minor laws, including purchasing false ID, entering a cantina while underage, disturbing the peace, and underage drinking... in that order. "I was asking if you needed a hand with your 'plan'." he said flatly.  
  
"So you heard my 'conversation' with the Council?" Revan asked innocently.  
  
"I think they heard you on Kashyyyk." he said pointedly.  
  
She sniggered, "Well you know I could use all the help I can get. But how about you go tell our friends about my plan, while I -" she succeeded in starting the speeder without the keys, "- go to the Senate to tell them we'll help them."  
  
"The Council won't like it." he noted.  
  
"And we care about that, why?" she asked.  
  
Malak sighed, "All right." he frowned, "I'm assuming this 'plan' involves running off and joining the Republic in the war?" she nodded. "And you want me to go and tell the Padawans about this?" their group of friends - if you could use that word for them, they were more like acquaintances - had yet to graduate to the level of Jedi Knight. The two young Knights made a habit of referring to them as 'the Padawans' just to see the sour looks the Padawans would give them for it.  
  
"Yes. I'll meet you back here in-" she glanced at her chronometer, "-a couple of hours." He nodded, and jumped out of the speeder. As soon as he was clear of it, she directed the speeder to zoom out of the garage level and into the traffic lanes.  
  
Malak wasn't sure this estimate of time would be accurate. He was fairly certain the Senate would keep Revan waiting, and throw a load of paperwork at her, even if she explained what she was there for. Still, he would do as she asked, anyway.  
  
x x x  
  
Only seven Jedi, including Revan and Malak themselves, agreed to go on this mission. They got passage on the transport ship Stargazer, which was the next supply ship headed out for the main fleet. Most of the Republic officers were sceptical that a mere seven Jedi could do any good. Malak was pretty sure that while they would make a difference, the small number of Jedi wouldn't be enough. Revan, however, was confident that more would follow when they discovered that the Council's fears were misplaced.  
  
The five Padawans who had agreed to join them were all friends of Revan's, and by association, Malak called them friends, too... though he didn't actually see anyone but Revan as his real friend.  
  
There was a nineteen-year-old blonde human man, named Matt. He had a relatively outgoing personality, and made friends with anyone who was willing to endure his ego. He was a Consular class Jedi, with good leadership skills, though he was also able to take orders with some degree of humility, when he felt so inclined.  
  
There was a Zabrak Guardian class, named Derrin, the same age as Malak. He had been one of the ones who made Malak feel like an outcast, until Revan had arrived at the Temple. Malak never did get over this enmity, though he could ignore Derrin quite effectively, when he felt like it.  
  
Another Guardian class, named Tyr, was a dark-skinned twenty-four year old human, with dreadlocks and a morbid sense of humour. He considered the dark side something to avoid, but not fear... which, Malak supposed, was probably why he was only a Padawan, and not a Knight by now.  
  
There was Cassie, a Sentinel class, with strawberry-blonde hair and green eyes.  
  
And the quiet one was Sam. A Sentinel class human, with brown hair - he tended to keep to himself, weighed up all the logic, facts and probabilities, then went with his gut instinct, and to hell with any advice he may be given.  
  
All in all, with the exception of Revan and Malak themselves, by Jedi standards they were a relatively pathetic group of Padawans. Sure, Malak, Tyr and Derrin could kick some serious ass if needed, and between the seven of them they had enough skill with the Force to raise Atlantean City on Manaan, but they were still only seven people, and even the Jedi were not invincible.  
  
"Are we there, yet?" Derrin asked, for the umpteenth time.  
  
"Somebody gag him." Tyr said coldly. The Jedi had been sharing a small living quarters on the transport ship, and the tension in the room was all Derrin's fault.  
  
"Derrin, unless you want me to dye your hair neon pink, you will not ask that question ever again." Revan warned. Her rivalry with Derrin was puerile and childish, at best, as it originated in the Mr Fuzzems incident... she always won, though.  
  
Derrin stuck his tongue out at her, and proceeded to sulk, "Ok, how much longer till we get there?" he asked.  
  
Revan rolled her eyes, and groaned in exasperation.  
  
"The trip takes four days, you ignorant bantha. And let's not forget the twelve hour stop to re-fuel on Taris." Malak said coldly, "We've only been in-flight for two hours, three of which you have prattled through."  
  
Derrin crossed his eyes, "That math doesn't make sense."  
  
"It means you've been prattling too much!" Malak snarled.  
  
"Boys, calm down." Revan interrupted, "We need to work together, for a change. All differences aside, and let the Force guide us to victory."  
  
"Revan's right. We need to act like Jedi..." Cassie said, giving Derrin a pointed look as she added, "For a change." specifically for his benefit.  
  
Derrin gave both women a sheepish look before muttering, "You're right, girls. Ok, I'll act serious for a change." yet still he grinned lopsidedly, in spite of this.  
  
"No wonder you lot are still Padawans." Malak muttered, "You all act like children, in one way or another."  
  
"I resent that." Tyr retorted, "I don't act like a child, I'm just not quite as pacifistic as the Masters would like me to be."  
  
"That could be an asset in this war, Tyr." Revan said quietly, "The Mandalorians need to be stopped, no matter what. And contrary to the Masters' opinions, I am not saying that out of vengeance."  
  
Everyone looked at her for a minute... they had all known about her personal feelings on Mandalore, but no one had ever brought the subject up in her presence before. "She's right." Malak said, eventually. Though he could tell that while she believed the Mandalorians needed to be stopped, vengeance wasn't exactly something she could ignore, even if it wasn't the only reason she may cite for fighting them.  
  
x x x  
  
The stop on Taris was a non-event. Malak and Revan stayed on the ship, while the Padawans went off to act like the children they feverently denied ever being, playing in the streets of the lower levels.  
  
Twelve hours after leaving Taris, Revan and Malak were on their way back to their quarters on the Stargazer, when the ship dropped out of hyperspace. A wave of anger and fear washed over them as soon as they fell into normal space. Revan literally stumbled with the near-physical impact of it. Malak winced, quickly developing a headache, and caught Revan as the ship shook a second later.  
  
"All hands to battle stations!" the Captain's voice barked over the intercom.  
  
"This is only a transport ship." Revan said, fear creeping into her voice.  
  
"We don't have the defences to handle a real fight." Malak finished her thought for her. With an unspoken agreement, they both broke into a run, headed for the bridge.  
  
They had clearly dropped out of hyperspace in the middle of a battle. The ship shuddered ominously, a few more times, before they reached the bridge. "What's going on?" Malak demanded immediately.  
  
The Captain looked at the two Jedi, with an irritated frown, "We've landed in the middle of a skirmish." he said curtly, "It looks like the division we were supposed to meet up with was ambushed. We're outnumbered, two-to-one... and with Mandalorians, those odds are hopeless."  
  
"There's no such thing as hopeless." Revan said quietly. Her voice low, and her head bowed under the hood of the off-white cloak she had taken to wearing since they left Coruscant. Why she felt the need to conceal that beautiful face, Malak didn't particularly understand, but it was her choice.  
  
Malak could sense her focus. Her aura was so intense he could practically taste it. She stepped forward, to the helm of the ship. The crew gave her sceptical and irritated glances, as if they thought she was going to simply get in the way. Malak wasn't sure what she was about to do, but whatever it was, it was big.  
  
Revan held up her hand, and Malak felt a faint rush in the air around him. Several of the Mandalorian fighters flew off course, and crashed into each other. One of them grazed the lead Mandalorian ship. With a last, vicious, volley of fire at the lead Republic vessel, the Mandalorians retreated. They clearly hadn't been expecting resistance, especially not the sort that looked at first glance like magic.  
  
There was silence on the bridge for a couple of minutes.  
  
Then Revan collapsed. Malak rushed to her side, and checked that she was all right. She was still conscious, but exhausted. Malak helped her to stand, while the rest of the bridge crew looked on in stunned silence. Revan leaned against him, her head bowed so her face was concealed.  
  
Then a beeping from the commlink.  
  
The Lieutenant at the comm station jumped at the sound... then looked at the Captain, who nodded. The Lieutenant then pressed the button to activate the commlink. "Stargazer, this is Captain Saul Karath of the Interdictor ship, Defiant." the voice over the commlink said, sounding as stunned as the bridge crew of the Stargazer looked, "I don't suppose you can tell me what scared off those Mandalorians?"  
  
"I wish I knew what happened." the Captain said, "But you'll have to ask the Jedi."  
  
"Jedi?" Karath asked, "About bloody time the Council decided to send help for us. I want to speak to them as soon as possible."  
  
"The Council didn't send us." Malak said coldly, "And Revan is in no state to answer questions."  
  
"What... what was that you did to scare them off?" one of the younger crewmen, an ensign, asked warily.  
  
"Force wave." Revan whispered.  
  
When the ensign gave them a confused look, Malak elaborated, "A wave of kinetic energy. It threw their ships off course, but it takes immense effort to conjure such a thing in a vacuum. Revan will need to rest." he gave a pointed look to the Captain, who nodded.  
  
"Very well. Take Revan back to the accommodation block. As soon as you are both fit for it, you shall meet with Captain Karath, on the Defiant."  
  
Malak nodded, and then led Revan off the bridge, taking most of her weight himself.  
  
x x x  
  
"Have you seen the way those soldiers look at Cassie?" Revan asked coldly, her voice a low whisper. The seven Jedi were on their way to meet the Captain of the Defiant... and the soldiers on the small shuttle they were riding in from the Stargazer to the Defiant were blatantly staring at Cassie. Gawping and leering might be a better description, actually.  
  
Cassie was wearing tan-coloured Jedi robes that had been gratuitously altered to an almost skin-tight fit. Malak really did see why the soldiers stared. Though he would much prefer to stare at Revan... that is, he would if Revan would take off that concealing cloak... and if there was no one else to watch it, maybe the rest of her robes as well... no, those thoughts were most definitely inappropriate for their current situation... maybe later.  
  
"She doesn't seem to mind." Malak noted. True enough, Cassie seemed almost pleased with the stares she was getting. Malak assumed that was the reason she had altered her robes in the first place - to get that sort of attention.  
  
Revan snorted, "She wouldn't." she pulled the hood further over her face. Anyone would think she was shy, or something. Malak knew better - she was paranoid - there's a subtle difference.  
  
The soldiers weren't looking at Revan with anything other than curiosity and awe. They had heard Revan had scared off the Mandalorian skirmishers, and they were watching her with a sort of reverence and gratitude. But it suddenly struck Malak why she might deliberately keep her face concealed, and her robes loose enough to make it next to impossible to tell her gender. Her disgust at the way men looked at women like Cassie was also an indication... perhaps she didn't want anyone to know how attractive she was. That thought seemed to hurt him... he didn't want her to conceal her beauty... but it was her decision.  
  
The shuttle docked, and the Jedi disembarked. The Defiant was a much better ship than the Stargazer. The Stargazer was pretty much a transport barge, but the Defiant was a state-of-the-art Interdictor class warbird. Even the interior design reeked of military efficiency, and sleek modern technology. And experience - this ship had seen and won its share of battles - Malak could sense that just by setting foot on it.  
  
"I could like this ship." Tyr noted, smirking slightly.  
  
"You would say that." Matt noted blithely. Tyr shrugged, and the group of Jedi followed their Republic escort through the Defiant's corridors, to what appeared to be an office.  
  
There they met Captain Karath. "Ah, the Jedi." he said congenially, "It is good to meet you." he bowed slightly, though it was awkward, and it seemed clear he was not used to it. Being a military man, he was probably more comfortable saluting, instead.  
  
Revan bowed to him, "Captain Karath." she said calmly, "I am Jedi Knight Revan. This is Jedi Knight Malak, my close friend." Malak idly considered saluting the man instead of bowing in return... it certainly would unsettle him... but he resisted the temptation, and bowed politely instead. "And these are Padawans Cassandra, Tyr, Samuel, Derrin, and Yamatto."  
  
Tyr and Matt, on the other hand, were more impetuous than Malak - both saluted the Captain, while Cassie, Sam and Derrin bowed when their names were mentioned. Malak gave Tyr and Matt a brief glare, which Tyr returned with a smirk.  
  
Karath gave Tyr and Matt a curious look, but didn't seem too bothered by their behaviour. "Well, as you can see, Jedi Revan, we have not been faring well in this war. In fact, if you had not shown up, our division would probably not have survived."  
  
"I am glad we could be of assistance, Captain." Revan said. Malak could hear the smile in her voice, even though her hood was still concealing her face, "Although such feats as that which I displayed in that fight are incredibly tiring... and it is more than likely that the Mandalorians will be prepared, next time."  
  
"How can they prepare for something like that?" Matt asked.  
  
"I think Revan means in the sense that they'll expect it." Cassie said coldly.  
  
"Exactly, Cassie." Revan said calmly.  
  
"Well, either way, we are grateful for your assistance, Jedi Revan." Captain Karath said, "We will be rejoining the rest of the fleet in two days. You will be able to meet with the Admiral then, to see how you can help us."  
  
Revan nodded, "Thank you, Captain."  
  
x x x  
  
Admiral Talon Var - a human man in his late fifties, with black hair that was greying at the edges, slightly tanned skin, and a cold aura about him - did not seem pleased to see Revan and Malak, when they met him in his ready-room on the lead ship of the fleet, the Valiant.  
  
"I understand that your actions aided the Defiant in fending off a Mandalorian assault, but you are still only seven people." he said coldly, "If the Jedi wanted to help us, they surely could have sent more-"  
  
"The Council disapproved of our decision to aid you." Revan said calmly.  
  
"And even one person can change the course of history, Admiral." Malak added pointedly.  
  
Admiral Var snorted, "Perhaps I can put you Jedi to use on the front lines, then. We'll see if you can eliminate enough Mandalorians to prove you haven't wasted my time."  
  
Revan looked up at him, so her face was visible beneath her hood - her eyes were cold as ice, "No wonder you're losing. If you don't use the weapons at your disposal to their best effect, I'm amazed you're still in command out here."  
  
The Admiral spluttered indignantly, "How dare you! I am perfectly capable of commanding this fleet!"  
  
"Are you capable of taking advice? Considering suggestions of your subordinates, rather than dismissing them?" she asked innocently.  
  
"Why? Do you have a suggestion?" the Admiral asked coldly.  
  
"The seven Jedi now under your command, sir." she said calmly. Malak was surprised she included herself in this category, and that she still deferred command to this man, after she had verbally slapped him in the face. "Malak, Tyr and Derrin are most efficient of the seven of us, in hand-to-hand combat. Cassandra and Samuel both aced their piloting exams, and would likely be more suited to space-battles. Yamatto and I would best serve you in using our Force skills, wherever you choose to position us. Also, Tyr is a tactical mastermind of ground-based theoretical combat - he passed his defensive combat training through strategic skill - if you placed him in a leadership role in ground-combat, he could be invaluable. Samuel and Cassandra both have uncanny pre-cognition skills - they can literally predict an opponent's choices before they are even made - giving them command of your gunners, or at least the authority to say where to aim, could be beneficial to you. Malak and I are both skilled logical thinkers - before we, ah, decided to come out here-"  
  
"Defied the Council's direct orders, you mean?" Malak asked, trying not to laugh.  
  
Revan shot him a glare, "It was for the greater good. The Council were being cowardly." she retorted. Then she turned her attention back to the Admiral, "Before we left the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, we were both being trained as mediators - you would not believe the amount of deception and near guerrilla war that some freelance businesses indulge in - we have the ability to see all angles of attack, and take the most logical path, that will end a dispute quickly. This is a grander scale, but the principles would remain the same."  
  
The Admiral opened his mouth to ask what she meant, but Malak answered first, "She means we could help you with your battle plans. No plan is fool-proof to a sufficiently talented fool-"  
  
"Or a Mandalorian - same difference." Revan put in. The Admiral actually smiled faintly at Revan's jab at their mutual enemy.  
  
"But we can certainly help you plan for any foreseeable eventuality." Malak finished, fighting to keep his amused smirk off his face, too.  
  
"And a few unforeseen ones, as well." Revan added.  
  
The Admiral smiled, amused, "All right. I'll give you Jedi a chance. Don't disappoint me."  
  
x x x  
  
Revan was given the chance to help with the planning of battle strategies. Malak did help a bit, but he was out of his league when Revan was in the room. She pointed out several flaws in the Admiral's battle-plans, and even came up with a few strategies of her own. It was quite spectacular to watch, really, the way she could read the holoimage of the battlegrounds... as easily as she could read his mind.  
  
With her guidance, they gradually stopped losing ground to the Mandalorians. It took several months, and a lot of extreme tactics.  
  
The Admiral nearly pitched a fit when Revan told him to take the defences away from Abidos and Kessel - two essential mining facilities - to reinforce the front. But it worked. The Mandalorians went for the greater concentration of firepower, ploughing into the front lines, and they would have shattered the Republic's defences entirely, if the front line had not been reinforced. The two unprotected worlds went unnoticed - no glory or honour in bombing a couple of uninhabited rocks.  
  
Revan and Malak were now permanently stationed on the Defiant, which was the flagship for the main third of the fleet. Besides Admiral Var, Revan and Karath were effectively the highest rank in the fleet. Cassie and Sam were each assigned to lead ships in the other two thirds of the fleet - both had done a great deal to help guide their respective battles in the right direction.  
  
Tyr, Derrin and Matt were more often on the Defiant than any other ship, as well... if they weren't off on a mission. Tyr had quickly been promoted to field captain - he didn't have the patience for a real command job, and he was too valuable in hand-to-hand combat to take off the front lines... he only ever reported back to the Defiant for his next assignment, now. Derrin wasn't a leader - he also fought on the front lines, but never in Tyr's team, and always under a Republic soldier's command. Matt went with whoever needed him - he had a knack for creating Force illusions that really threw off the Mandalorians, his favourite illusion taking the form of a rabid were-kath charging straight for the enemy lines... it was a simple trick, and it never took long for the Mandalorians to get wise to it - whenever they did, he came up with a new monster to throw at them.  
  
A few weeks after the Abidos incident, Cassie brought it to Revan's attention that a small smuggling vessel had slipped out past the Republic lines. The Admiral seemed not to deem it important, but Cassie insisted that the vessel was significant. "It was headed to the Mandalorian Katzof world." Cassie reported, over the holoprojector, "And the trace indicates that it originated at or near Myrkr."  
  
This caught Revan's attention, "That can not be good. What has Myrkr to export, that the Mandalorians would want?"  
  
"Spice?" Derrin suggested sarcastically.  
  
"I wish." Revan muttered.  
  
"Myrkr... isn't that where...?" Malak didn't even need to finish the sentence. The Jedi avoid that world diligently, because certain creatures there posed a great threat to them. Not predators like the mythical terentatek... these were much more insidious threats, though Malak never did pay attention beyond the fact these creatures were to be avoided at all costs.  
  
"Yes." Revan answered, "But they are next to impossible to export. It is likely just a spice-smuggler who thinks there's someone to sell to past the Mandalorians."  
  
"I hope you're right." Malak said quietly.  
  
x x x  
  
A few days later, Tyr found Malak in his quarters on the Defiant. "Hey, Malak."  
  
Malak looked up from the datapad he'd been reading - information on one of Revan's wild schemes that would undoubtedly work out. "What is it?" Tyr was too single-minded to show up for anything that didn't have to do with the war.  
  
"Revan said she's got a job for you." Tyr said calmly, "Said she doesn't trust me to get it done right." Tyr snorted at that, and Malak laughed.  
  
"Why would she think I'd be any better? You're a better military tactician than I am." Malak noted.  
  
"Ask her. She won't even tell me the mission." Tyr said coldly.  
  
Malak set down his datapad, "I think I'll do that." he pushed Tyr out of the room, and locked the door behind them, "And remember to knock in future." he turned to walk down the corridor.  
  
"What? It's not like you have a girlfriend, or anything." Tyr retorted.  
  
Malak didn't even look back as he gave Tyr a rude hand-gesture, before turning the corner.  
  
Revan was waiting for him in her office. The really great thing about being effectively in charge of the fleet was she got her own private office. Malak knocked and waited.  
  
"Enter." Revan's voice called.  
  
He stepped into the room, closed the door behind him, and walked over to the desk Revan sat behind, "Tyr said you wanted to see me?"  
  
"Yes." she looked up, lowering her hood completely, so he could see her face. She only ever did that for him, and never when anyone else was in the room. "One of Mandalore's generals has left himself vulnerable. I think it's a trap, so I'm sending you with the strike team to the planet."  
  
"You're deliberately sending me into a trap?" Malak asked, stunned.  
  
"Because I think you can handle it." she said calmly, "A Jedi would be able to take out any ambush laid for the strike-team, allowing them to complete their mission."  
  
"And this mission would be...?" he asked.  
  
"To capture the general in question." Revan answered, "Head of Katzof clan. He would be an invaluable source of information if he could be captured and made to talk."  
  
Malak nodded, "Why me? Why not Tyr?"  
  
"Tyr is a good Jedi, but when he goes into battle, he doesn't leave any enemies alive. I want that general taken prisoner, and with his head and voice intact." she said calmly. Malak noticed she only mentioned his head and voice... meaning other limbs were fair game, as long as it wasn't fatal.  
  
"I won't let you down, Revan."  
  
x x x  
  
The strike team consisted of half a dozen soldiers, armed to the teeth. The Mandalorian stronghold on Siraun had been left with relatively weak defences, and it was easy enough to infiltrate the planet itself. The few surviving civilians on the planet had hidden in the forests, where the Mandalorians didn't venture. There was no point in securing tactically worthless forestland, and the civilians were no threat... though they did offer meagre food and shelter to the strike team, on their first night on the ground. That was probably the only mistake the Mandalorians did make, this time.  
  
It certainly was a trap. It was obvious as soon as they approached the stronghold, the next day. The guards on duty were slacking off more than even the laziest soldier would do - and these were warriors, who should have known better. Malak had no trouble taking out the guards.  
  
He led the team into the stronghold. They reached the high security area unopposed. This was too easy. The door opened - they didn't even need to slice it. "Open invitation..." Malak said quietly, "Somehow I don't like this."  
  
He took a step through the door, and felt the most terrifying thing a Jedi could ever feel. The Force left him, completely. He stepped back, horrified. The Force returned to him as soon as he passed through the door. He stared in awe and horror at the doorway.  
  
"Is something wrong, Jedi Malak?" one of the soldiers asked. If Malak remembered correctly, this soldier's name was Nick O'Malley.  
  
"Yes... something is very wrong." he reached his hand through the door. He could still feel his hand, the muscles and sense of touch... but he couldn't sense it in the Force. He quickly withdrew his hand from the room. "I really do not want to go in there." he said quietly.  
  
"But our instructions said that the general's quarters were in this section of the stronghold. We've got this far, what's so bad about going through this door?" Nick asked.  
  
Malak scowled, "I can't feel the Force in there. It's the most disconcerting sensation I've ever experienced." he said quietly, "But you're right, we have to go in there."  
  
He took a deep breath, to calm himself, and stepped through the door. The Force left him, again. It was as debilitating to him as being blind - he had literally lost all his extra-sensory perception. He couldn't sense anything, couldn't even sense his own presence. Hearing the footsteps behind him, and not sensing the presences of the soldiers, he was incredibly jumpy.  
  
"Doesn't feel any different to me." Nick noted bluntly.  
  
"You're not a Jedi." Malak retorted coldly.  
  
They eventually reached another door, still unchallenged. This was getting ridiculous. "This is so a trap." Nick noted.  
  
"He's right." Malak said, "Fawkes, go back to the doors and wait for us." he ordered one of the soldiers, "If something goes wrong, get back to the ship and get gone."  
  
"Gotcha." Fawkes said, nodding. He activated his stealth belt and Malak heard his footsteps retreating towards the exit. He got the feeling Fawkes was grateful to leave, even though he couldn't sense his emotions. Malak really didn't blame him - he wanted to leave, too. But of the strike team, Darien Fawkes was their best stealth op, and had the best chance of getting back to the ship unseen, if something did go wrong. Word would need to get back to Revan, either way.  
  
Malak then led the strike team cautiously through the door. They found themselves in a small room, empty save for a man standing with his back to them.  
  
As soon as the strike team were all through the door, the man turned to face them. He wore full general's armour, with the Katzof symbol emblazoned on the breastplate. "Ah, you made it. I was wondering how much longer it would take Jedi Revan to send someone for me."  
  
"So Revan was right. It was a trap." Malak said calmly.  
  
"Oh, yes. But not in the sense you think." the general smiled, clearly amused, "You think it was merely an ambush to eliminate some of your soldiers. You thought to send a Jedi with you would help. But in fact, by sending a Jedi, Revan played right into my hands." with a slight hand-gesture, several Mandalorian warriors appeared, practically out of nowhere, surrounding the strike team.  
  
No one moved for a few moments. All the soldiers in the strike team kept their eyes on Malak, waiting for his order. Malak stared coldly at the general - he couldn't sense the Mandalorian warriors behind him, but he could hear their breathing. He guessed at about six of seven of them, possibly more.  
  
The slightest gesture from Malak, and the strike team attacked, turning to lash out futilely at the hopeless odds. Malak attacked the nearest warrior - the general seemed to want to stay out of it for now, so Malak would ignore him for now. With a swing of his lightsaber, there was one less Mandalorian to deal with.  
  
But almost immediately, another warrior knocked the lightsaber out of his hand, almost breaking Malak's wrist in the process. Would have broken it if it weren't for the armoured wristbands he wore. He turned and struck the Mandalorian across the face with his other forearm, then quickly hit the Mandalorian under the jaw with the heel of his hand, snapping his neck.  
  
He turned in time to kick another Mandalorian in the stomach. While that one gasped for breath, another hit Malak from behind with a vibroblade. It wasn't a deep cut, but it hurt like hell. He lashed out at the attacker, spinning to kick him in the face, but he was blocked, and promptly kicked in the chest for his trouble.  
  
The door was still open, he realised. He evaded another vibroblade, and tried to make a run for it. Only one of the soldiers - Nick - had survived this long, and when Malak yelled, "Retreat!" Nick bolted for the door, just avoiding losing his head to one of the Mandalorians' vibroblades. He did manage to escape the room, though.  
  
Malak wasn't so lucky. Two of the Mandalorians grabbed him by the arms. He kicked down sharply on the knee of the one holding his right arm, then when that arm was released he elbowed that Mandalorian in the stomach, then the back of the neck.  
  
He turned, and flipped the other Mandalorian onto his back, and drove his heel down on the Mandalorian's throat. He turned on the general, who was the only one left.  
  
The general smirked, "Impressive. Even without the Force to aid you, you are an excellent fighter, Jedi."  
  
Malak spotted his lightsaber on the floor, not far from him.  
  
"Oh, I wouldn't try it if I were you. You'll not reach it in time." the general said, amused.  
  
Malak returned his full attention to the general. He kept the option of lunging for his lightsaber in the back of his mind, but didn't try it yet. "What do you want with me?" he asked.  
  
The general laughed, "Perhaps if you surrender." the jeering tone made it clear he thought the idea of surrender was preposterous. Malak knew Mandalorians fought to the death, and to surrender was to lose honour.  
  
Malak sneered at the general, then went for his lightsaber. He didn't make it, though. A single shot, a searing pain in his back, and that was the last thing he remembered.  
  
x x x  
  
He woke up to find himself chained to a wall. There was no one else in the darkened room. He tested the chains that held him - they were secure. He still couldn't feel the Force, and without it he had no hope of escape.  
  
"Ah, you're awake." the general was standing in the doorway of the room, "I hadn't thought you would react so badly to the tranquillisers. You almost didn't wake up at all."  
  
"I thought Mandalorians didn't take prisoners?" Malak asked coldly, "Isn't it against your honour code, or something?"  
  
"Usually, we do not take prisoners. But these are exceptional circumstances. You are a Jedi, and as such you have invaluable information. You can tell me Revan's plans."  
  
"That's what you think." Malak said snidely.  
  
The Mandalorian laughed, "What is your name, Jedi?"  
  
Malak just glared silently.  
  
"My name is Rangar. what is yours?"  
  
"Malak."  
  
"Good. Now we don't have to resort to snide pseudonyms for each other, Malak." Rangar said, amused.  
  
"That won't stop me, rancor." Malak said brightly.  
  
Rangar backhanded Malak across the face sharply.  
  
"Now where's the honour in hitting someone who can't fight back?" Malak taunted.  
  
"Sometimes exceptions need to be made." Rangar said coldly, "You could be much more useful to us alive, and the only way to extract information from a 'prisoner' includes inflicting pain."  
  
"You obviously haven't met Revan." Malak said calmly, "Revan can make you tell all your deepest secrets, without even threatening you."  
  
"I'm sure he can." Rangar said, amused, "I've heard many stories of your leader, Malak. I wouldn't be surprised."  
  
Malak kept his expression neutral, though he secretly found it highly amusing that this Mandalorian thought Revan was male.  
  
"But I am just sadistic enough not to care... and physical torture is something I've wanted to try for some time." Rangar said, cruel glee evident in his tone.  
  
"Have fun with that, then." Malak said coldly, "It won't make me talk."  
  
"We shall see." he took out a dagger. Shining silver, very pretty, but very sharp. He held it up for Malak to see. Malak kept his fear out of his expression, but he was scared - anyone would be. "I know a thousand different ways to kill a man, with this dagger alone."  
  
"What about inserting it up your nose?" Malak suggested.  
  
Rangar blinked a few times, "A thousand and one." Malak laughed. "The point is that I also know exactly how to use this, to keep you alive, and in pain, for a long long time." that stopped him laughing pretty quickly.  
  
x x x 


	4. Love

Falling For You  
  
Author's Notes: Guess he needs rescued, huh? I know Malak's reaction to torture may seem to some to be a bit unrealistic... but it's how I react to pain (I know pain - believe me, I know pain), so :p ... and for the record, a lot of the human medical knowledge I spout in this fic is first hand (not that I've suffered exactly what Malak has... I still have a jaw, thankyouverymuch... what I lack are functional kidneys). Oh, and this chapter is the reason the fic is R-rated (well, the first chapter that shows it, anyway... later on there should hopefully be more graphic material)... ok, so I cheated a bit, but there's enough implications here to warrant it :p (that and I keep the word "fuck" out of my PG-13 material). If I were you, I'd keep my eyes open for a very literal interpretation of the Sith Code in the first scene. Oh, I almost forgot - chocolate products go to anyone who spots a certain movie-reference (should be pretty blatant, really... but telling you the movie title would just give it away).  
  
ether-fanfic: Karath's defection... I haven't written it yet, and I'm on chapter 10 right now. Though, hopefully it should be in chapter 11.  
Darth Arachne: Only 7 Jedi, because... you try convincing good little Jedi Knights and Padawans to disobey the Council, with no proof your mad scheme will work - not an easy task, and Revan delegated it to Malak, which makes it even more of a challenge. Only three colours... this concept is based in Earth mythology - white for innocence - and yes, it ends with black. Yay, you did the maths - yes, Ysalamiri - I deliberately didn't say that last chapter, because I wanted to see who would guess it... though I heard the Forceless bubble was anywhere between 1 and 20 meters for one creature, depending on its health/size.  
Rascarin: Thanks.  
Noop-Ni: Well, Saul is going to be the Admiral of the Sith fleet... it makes sense, therefore, that Revan and Malak knew him well enough to trust him (well, in so much that Sith Lords trust anyone)... besides, I'm featuring a few random Republic mooks we don't see in the game... and at least Saul's not the Admiral of the Republic fleet when we meet him, or anything ridiculous like that.  
Trunxluvr82190: Actually, most of the Republic soldiers don't assume Revan's a guy... they just aren't certain what gender she is... it's the few Mandalorians Malak meets who just assume Revan is male... though they're Katzof, you've heard my Canderous' opinion of their clan, and it's not pleasant.  
Niliav: If his place is the brig... then yes. I like to think Malak deals with him better, both here and in chapter 6.  
snackfiend101: Haha! I love doing that! I absolutely love making people say/think/believe something they never thought they would! ::bows graciously:: thank you. And who else would rescue him, if not Revan? I'd consider suggesting Carth, but unfortunately, that's too plausible... he is stationed on the Defiant, at the moment ::shifty look:: ... short answer, of course Revan will save him, and yes, it was great fun to write, both the torture scene and the um, aftermath ::grins:  
yeth: Ahhhhhh! Yoda-speak! ::hides under the bed, and tentatively offers you the chapter, waving it like a white flag of surrender:: lol, you know I'm kidding, right? It's not easy to portray sarcasm and jest in written text.  
RollingSkull: Um... he looked, otherwise he'd not have noticed the way she dressed ::gives Skull a "duh" look:: ... besides, wait till chapter 9, then you'll see that Malak definitely knows that other females, besides Revan, exist. These misfits are Revan and Malak's "friends" (if you can call Derrin that) from the Jedi Temple, that's the only reason Malak could convince them to join him and Revan.  
Prisoner 24601: Yeah, it shows how close friends they were as kids, doesn't it? Even if Calo hadn't killed Kenny then, she would have died in the Sith War - Sith Lord Revan (I'm doing my damnedest to avoid using the title "Darth", since I've discovered that Revan and Malak predate Darth Bane) would make a point of hunting her old Master down. It's crueller to Revan, and kinder to Kendra, this way. :p about the nitpicking - minor detail, too lazy to fix it - though I do appreciate mistakes being pointed out to me. Yeah, but you saw how that Force wave exhausted her - she put all her strength into it, and she has no plans to try it again in a hurry. Revan has a great deal of self-confidence... Malak doesn't know this, but she actually told off the whole effing Galactic Senate, to get them to allow her to skip the paperwork involved in joining the war.  
whisper524: lol :: takes the sugar and syrup, but pointedly leaves the cookie dough where it is:: is this soon enough for you? Romance starts this chapter... and do you like my song quote?  
  
"And maybe I'm crazy,  
Oh it's crazy and it's true,  
I know you can save me,  
No one else can save me now but you,  
As long as the planets are turning,  
As long as the stars are burning,  
As long as your dreams are coming true,  
You'd better believe it,  
That I would do anything for love."  
-Meatloaf, I Would Do Anything For Love.  
  
x x x  
  
Chapter 4 - Love  
  
There were no windows where he was being held. He didn't even know what time of day it was, now. He had no idea how much time had passed. But he did know that he had sixteen new scars... those, he had made a point to keep count of. He can't have been there very long, if that's all the damage his captor got around to so far... it felt like forever, though.  
  
Every time he was cut, Rangar gave him a dose of some kolto compound - it had enough healing properties to stop the bleeding, but not enough to ease the pain. He got the feeling there was some narcotic element to the compound, as well - whenever he was given the shots, he couldn't stop himself from talking.  
  
It annoyed the hell out of Rangar, because all he ever talked about, when asked Revan's secrets, was the list of rules she broke at the Jedi Temple, and never got caught for, when she was ten. Well, technically those were secrets... kept from the Jedi Council... but it didn't hurt her to tell them now - they had only been big important secrets when they were children. He never mentioned Mr Fuzzems, though - that one, Revan wouldn't forgive him for if he told anyone.  
  
His captor returned to the room - for the first time, now, he had removed the helmet from his armour. Rangar's face wasn't as butt-ugly as Malak had expected... then again, that wasn't saying much - he had short brown hair, and his eyes were so dark they were almost black - a couple of scars on his face, but nothing particularly disfiguring - he looked like an average soldier/warrior type, really. Certainly not the hideous monster Malak had liked to imagine hid behind that helmet - he looked human.  
  
He was holding the dagger, which was shining silver, once again. Malak got the feeling this man was more finicky about keeping his weaponry clean than Revan was about her appearance (even though no one saw her face but him, she was at least as vain as Cassie)... every time he finished questioning Malak, he left, and when he returned the dagger was sparkling as good as new. If it wasn't such a morbid situation, Malak might have laughed at the idea, but he learned the hard way that laughing in this man's face only made matters worse.  
  
So far, the wounds were all surface cuts, mostly on his chest and arms. He was topless, now, because the top half of his Jedi Robes had been shredded by the dagger.  
  
He watched Rangar walk into the room. "Why can't I use the Force here?" Malak asked coldly.  
  
"Ah, yes. I wondered when you would notice." Rangar said smugly.  
  
"I noticed the second I stepped into this section of the building, you rancor's ass." Malak snarled, "I only got around to asking it now, because I was screaming in pain before."  
  
Rangar smirked at that, "That's true, I suppose. Very well, you do deserve to know." he walked over to one of the walls, and pressed a button. The wall slid back to reveal a glass enclosure containing a small lizard-like creature clinging to a potted tree. Malak recognised it instantly, though he had only ever seen pictures of these creatures before.  
  
"Ysalamiri." he said quietly. Ysalamiri are native to Myrkr. They create a bubble around them in which the Force cannot be used. It was a natural defence against their Force-sensitive predators, and it was the reason the Jedi avoided them.  
  
"Correct." Rangar said, smirking, "They are incredibly difficult to acquire. Expensive, too... unless you kill the middle-man."  
  
"The smuggling ship from Myrkr... you offered them a big payoff, then just killed them." he didn't word it as a question - he knew, even without the Force to tell him, that he was right.  
  
"That's right, yes." Rangar said calmly, "So, what do you think of my pet? His name is Bill."  
  
"I think I'd like it better with pepper sauce and a side-salad." Malak said coldly.  
  
"Ha!" the sharp laugh was sincere enough, though it didn't sound it, "You have a good point, Malak. I haven't fed you, have I?"  
  
"Drop dead." Malak said with false congeniality.  
  
"If I did that, who would you have to insult?"  
  
"You've never met Derrin, have you?"  
  
"No. Tell me about Derrin."  
  
"He's a git."  
  
"That is so informative." Rangar said sarcastically. Malak just smirked. "All right, back to Revan, then. Tell me his plans."  
  
Malak raised an eyebrow. There was a reason that question hadn't worked before, even when Malak had been drugged - Revan wasn't a man, so Malak wouldn't answer to that wording. He would try not to answer, anyway, but those drugs brought it down to that sort of logic, rather than any sense of loyalty, however strong. "I don't know what you're talking about." he said, feigning naiveté.  
  
Rangar rolled his eyes, "You are incredibly stubborn, you know that?" he asked.  
  
"So I've been told." Malak said. He sounded calm, but he knew Rangar was going to cut him again for refusing to talk - he was terrified. The first time he had been cut, during his captivity, he had screamed. After that, he had gritted his teeth and remained silent. But every time, he was terrified... the pain was always excruciating. A lesser person would beg for it to stop, but Malak had too much pride to do that.  
  
Rangar held the dagger up for Malak to see it, "You seem quite resistant to this particular form of torture... so this will be the last time I cut you."  
  
"You give up easily." Malak said coldly.  
  
"Are you a masochist, or something?" Rangar asked - the thought seemed to only just have occurred to him. Malak had never even considered the possibility. He did not in any way get off on pain... he just had a high tolerance for it. His obnoxiousness and flippant attitude to it had certainly disconcerted Rangar, but it hadn't been an act... even though he had been in pain.  
  
"No. I'm not." it only struck him after he'd said it, that if he'd said he was a masochist, Rangar might not have cut him again.  
  
"Ah, good." Rangar said, smirking, "Then this-" he thrust the dagger deep into Malak's gut, just to the left of his stomach - Malak was too surprised to stay silent - he screamed very loudly, "-should really bother you."  
  
Malak grit his teeth, biting off the scream, as quickly as he could, "Understatement." he groaned. The wound certainly hurt more than the others, but surprisingly it wasn't bleeding as badly as he'd expected. It didn't do any permanent damage... proof that Rangar really did know what he was doing with that thing.  
  
Rangar chuckled darkly, then pulled the blade back an inch, twisted it slightly and shoved it back into Malak, up to the hilt. Malak screamed again.  
  
After about half a minute, when Malak caught his breath again, he looked up at Rangar and growled, "What are you trying to do with that dagger? Stab me or fuck me?" he snarled.  
  
"Oh, now there's an idea." Rangar said, smirking.  
  
Malak did not like that smirk at all. He tried, for the umpteenth time, to pull his wrists free of the chains that bound him... and as always, they held firm.  
  
"Is that fear I see in your eyes, Malak?" True enough, it was the first time Malak had failed to keep his fear concealed. "It is." Rangar said, grinning, "Does that thought scare you?" he twisted the dagger again, and Malak's eyes rolled back into his head as he groaned from the pain. He didn't answer the question.  
  
Rangar laughed, and leaned closer to Malak. Contrary to some of the comments Malak had made during previous torture sessions, Rangar's breath did not smell like a rancor's. Malak tried to back away from him, but considering he was already pinned to the wall by the dagger Rangar held in his gut, that really wasn't possible.  
  
"It does scare you, doesn't it?" he was so close to Malak, now that their noses almost touched. Malak could see that Rangar's eyes were actually an incredibly dark shade of green. The scar over his right eyebrow left that eyelid slightly lower than the other... and that made the leer on his face even more disconcerting, right now.  
  
Malak swallowed nervously, "What, exactly, are you implying?" he asked innocently. Malak had a fair guess what the answer would be - he wasn't blind, deaf or stupid, and you'd need to be all three not to figure it out - but he was still relatively innocent, all the same.  
  
Revan had once told him there were three types of innocence. Malak had killed, and he was currently being tortured... but he still had some innocence left... the thought that that could be changed like this terrified him.  
  
"Oh, I don't think you're that naive, Malak." Rangar said, still leering. Malak swallowed fearfully, trying not to panic... struggling wouldn't work when he was chained like this... he couldn't use the Force, thanks to that damnable pet of Rangar's... he needed to stay calm and think of a way out of this situation.  
  
"What do I have to do to talk you out of this?" Malak asked quietly.  
  
"Tell me Revan's plans." Rangar said calmly.  
  
Malak could still feel the blade in his gut... but his fear had reduced the pain to a dull ache. He turned his head to the side, and glared viciously at the Ysalamiri. He had thought, when Rangar had started torturing him, however long ago that was now, that he had nothing to lose but Revan - he loved her and he wouldn't give her up.  
  
But he didn't want to lose what innocence he had left to this Mandalorian. He'd rather die. Yet, in spite of this, he still wouldn't give Revan up... not even for that. He couldn't betray her.  
  
"Go to hell." Malak said coldly.  
  
Rangar grabbed him by the hair, forcing Malak to face him. Malak bared his teeth in threat. Rangar laughed, and pressed his lips violently to Malak's. Malak made good on his threat, and bit Rangar's lip, viciously. He tasted blood, and he felt flesh rip as Rangar backed away from him sharply.  
  
"You son of a kinrath!" Rangar snarled, backhanding him across the face, much harder than the first time... his other hand over his mouth, trying to stop the bleeding. There was blood dripping from both their lips.  
  
Malak's head snapped to the side, and he didn't try to turn back to face Rangar. He spat out the other man's blood, as he clenched and unclenched his fists several times, seething with anger. If only he could touch the Force, he would have wrapped it around Rangar's throat, and throttled the vile Mandalorian slowly to death.  
  
But then something caught his attention. Lights flashing through the crack in the door. Bright colours, yellow, blue, green, and red. The sound-dampeners on the door, designed so those outside the room wouldn't have to hear Malak's screams, prevented him from hearing the source of the light, but he had a guess.  
  
"Tell me Revan's plans, Malak." Rangar snarled, "Or I will make good my threat!"  
  
Malak looked up at him, "I'm pretty sure Revan's plans include kicking your ass." he said bluntly.  
  
Rangar took one step towards Malak before the door burst open.  
  
There stood Revan, bearing two lightsabers, one emerald the other ruby, her voluminous near-white cloak concealing her face, as usual, but she was unmistakable. Flanking her were Tyr, his sapphire lightsaber raised aggressively, wearing black heavy armour that made him look almost like a Mandalorian himself, if his face hadn't been visible. And Cassie, her golden saber held almost lazily at her side, she wore a yellow Republic-issue flight-suit, smeared with blood from the fight to get to Malak's prison... and probably the reason Tyr wore black, so as not to show the bloodstains. Now Malak thought about it, Revan's cloak was perfectly spotless, which surprised him.  
  
"About bloody time you got here." Malak said blithely.  
  
"Couldn't leave you here to be molested by Mandalorians, now could we?" Cassie asked. Malak winced at her wording. That woman had an uncanny ability to hit the nail on the head, with painful accuracy.  
  
"Cassie... kill." Revan said coldly, pointing to the Ysalamiri.  
  
"With pleasure." Cassie skittered across the room towards the Ysalamiri's cage, her lightsaber raised, snake-like, to strike. Tyr swung his own lightsaber at Rangar, distracting him from Cassie. Rangar dodged, and bolted to Malak, wrenching the dagger from Malak's stomach, causing Malak to yell in pain again. Blood started pouring out of the wound and an alarming rate.  
  
Rangar now had a weapon, which he held defensively against Tyr. Tyr attacked with a vicious flurry of blows, which Rangar barely managed to dodge or block.  
  
"I want him alive, Tyr!" Revan snarled. Tyr could be heard to sigh, before changing tactics drastically, aiming for legs and arms instead of the torso. Rangar still defended himself.  
  
Cassie smashed the Ysalamiri cage, and sliced the creature's head off cleanly, killing it instantly. Malak felt the Force return to him, enveloping him and embracing him like an old lover. He reached for it, desperately, still deadly angry for what Rangar tried to do to him... with a nearly feral snarl, the Force fed on his anger, gave him superhuman strength, and he pulled his wrists away from the walls, breaking the chains that held him. He was free.  
  
He turned on Rangar, taking the short length of chain still attached to his right wrist, and while Rangar blocked a blow from Tyr's lightsaber, Malak threw the chain around Rangar's throat, and pulled it sharply.  
  
"Malak!" Revan yelled. Malak looked up at her. "I want him alive!"  
  
Malak growled, and let the chain fall from his left hand. He grabbed the dagger Rangar had dropped, "Let's see how you like it, rancor." he growled, and then he shoved the blade through the left side of Rangar's back, just below the ribcage. Assuming he was human, it would just shred one kidney - it wouldn't be fatal. Rangar yelled in pain, and fell to his knees, his arms wrapped around himself, as if trying to shield himself from the pain.  
  
"That was totally unnecessary, Malak." Revan said coldly. She walked quickly over to Malak, and placed her hand over the wound at his stomach. He felt her touch through the Force as well as physically. The Force soothed the pain, and he could feel the flesh knitting itself together under her hand.  
  
He had barely noticed the wound, in his anger and bloodlust. But now, he felt light-headed. The pool of blood - his blood - on the floor was quite spectacular. As Revan finished healing him, Malak collapsed into her arms, unconscious.  
  
x x x  
  
He woke in what had to be a medbay. He'd never been to any of the medical facilities in the Republic fleet, so he wasn't sure exactly where he was, but the clinical atmosphere was unmistakable. He looked around the spotless durasteel walls... the fluorescent lights imbedded in the walls and ceiling... the inactive medbot in the corner... the tables laid out with various medical tools, many of which could probably be classified as torture devices in their own right.  
  
There was no one here. He sat up slowly. His head hurt, something awful. Like the time he and Revan had gone to Coruscant undercity and he'd gotten drunk... the next morning, he'd had a headache like this. The fluorescent lighting did not help matters. He rubbed his temples gingerly. There was a disgusting taste in his mouth... water, he decided, would be his first priority.  
  
He slowly swung his legs off the table... or was it supposed to be a bed? It looked and felt more like a table, so that's what he'd call it. The floor was ice-cold, and his feet were bare. That was when he realised what he was wearing. A medical gown. One of those backless atrocities that even the most fashion-blind granite-slug wouldn't be seen dead within a mile of. Right, as soon as he found some water, decent clothes would be second on the list.  
  
He stood up, shakily. His legs were a bit wobbly, as if he hadn't walked in weeks. He sincerely hoped he hadn't been out for that long. He didn't even know how long he'd been tortured by Rangar, though it couldn't really have been more than three days, if you think about it logically. He wasn't given anything to drink during that time, and the human body can't survive more than three days without water.  
  
Once he was sure his legs would support his weight, he walked - limping slightly - over to the sink. He turned on the tap, and was grateful to see that it was pure water, and not some undrinkable sterilising fluid for cleaning bedpans, or anything equally vile. He splashed the water over his face, then cupped his hands, held them under the tap and took a grateful mouthful of water.  
  
The sound of running water reminded him of other human bodily functions that needed attending to. Clothing suddenly went down to number three on the list, as he turned off the tap and made his way to the 'fresher attached to the medbay.  
  
When he returned to the medbay, he found Revan sitting idly on the table he had woken on, the hood of her cloak around her shoulders, so her face was visible. She looked up at him and smiled faintly as he walked over to her. He was no longer limping, now, as his legs had become reacquainted with the subtle art of walking.  
  
"Hello, handsome." she said brightly, "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Hungover." he said bluntly, stifling a yawn.  
  
She laughed, "Well, you lost a lot of blood." she explained, "That causes low blood-pressure, and can create a similar headache to a hangover. It can also make you yawn like that, too. And it's why you passed out in the first place."  
  
Malak nodded, idly wondering how she knew all these facts she could spout at a second's notice. Still, he stored that information for future reference, anyway. "How long was I held prisoner? And how long was I then unconscious?"  
  
"You were held prisoner for seventy hours, according to Fawkes' report on the original mission." she answered smoothly, "And you have been unconscious for forty-eight hours. You were given an intravenous saline infusion, and the medbot just sent me a report half an hour ago that you were physically fit to be released as soon as you deigned to wake up."  
  
He nodded slowly.  
  
"So how do you feel? Besides hungover." she asked, her tone deadpan as she mentioned the hangover comparison.  
  
"I feel... all right." he said slowly, "Relatively speaking. I mean, I have just been tortured for three days straight." he smiled faintly, "Thanks for rescuing me, my Knight in shining armour."  
  
Revan laughed, such a beautiful musical sound, "Cute, Malak." she said, "Should I call you my damsel in distress, then?"  
  
Malak pulled a face, "Hell no!"  
  
She laughed again, and he couldn't help but smile as he watched her, "Well your fashion sense certainly is in distress at the moment, Malak."  
  
"I'm aware of that. It was on my list."  
  
"List?" she asked, arching a single eyebrow delicately.  
  
"Yeah... I woke up... first on the list was water... then-" he nodded towards the 'fresher from which he just came, "-and finding something decent to wear was next."  
  
She smiled, amused, "Your thought process is so complex and unpredictable, Malak." she said sarcastically.  
  
Malak stuck his tongue out at her.  
  
"Oh, that's mature." she muttered, with even more sarcasm.  
  
He sniggered, and scanned the room, looking for something to wear, "Please tell me you brought me clothes?"  
  
"And here I thought food would have been more of a priority?" Revan asked innocently.  
  
"I need to be dressed decently to go to the mess hall, don't I?" Malak asked bluntly.  
  
"Hmm..." Revan stood up leisurely, and circled him, examining his attire... taking plenty of time to look at his ass, since the medical gown left it exposed. "You're right... I don't want Cassie getting that eyeful." she grinned brightly, as he blushed at her blunt statement, "I'd much rather keep you to myself." there was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes as she looked up at him.  
  
He couldn't help but smile back at her, "Oh yeah, angel?" he asked, taking a step towards her. She backed into the table, and he placed his hands on the table, one on either side of her.  
  
She seemed surprised. Malak knew perfectly well that they were both physically attracted to each other, but neither had admitted it to the other openly. There were subtle insinuations, and the odd lewd joke passed between them, but neither had ever acted on it before. But his latest ordeal had scared him. He was pretty certain what he felt for Revan was love, and he wanted to be with her. No one else.  
  
"I'm not sure this is the appropriate place for this sort of behaviour, Malak." she said, her voice a little on-edge. She glanced around the room, giving the impression of a gizka in headlights.  
  
He immediately took a step back, giving her room to breathe. He certainly wasn't going to try to push her into anything. "Whatever you want, angel."  
  
She smiled, "I think there's some clothes over there." she noted, pointing to a small pile of dark blue fabric on one of the tables lining the walls.  
  
Malak nodded and made his way over to retrieve the pile of clothes. He was acutely aware of the fact that Revan's eyes were on him the whole way... and while he couldn't swear to it, he was pretty sure she was staring at his ass, again. He picked up the clothes - they were some of his own Jedi robes - and idly considered getting changed right in front of Revan. But pretty much anyone could walk in through that door at any point, so he decided modesty would work better, and made his way back into the 'fresher to shower and change.  
  
x x x  
  
"I've seen Wookiees eat less than you, right now." Revan noted bluntly. She and Malak were in the senior officers' mess on the Defiant - only those of Commander rank or higher, and the Jedi, were allowed in here.  
  
Revan's hood concealed her face, but Malak could still feel her eyes on him as he shovelled food into his mouth. He swallowed his current mouthful, "Have you ever even met a real live Wookiee?" he retorted, before continuing to devour the food in front of him.  
  
"I've seen them on holovids." Revan protested, her tone slightly whining, "And I studied their language and culture. Wookiee mythology-"  
  
"Oh please, not mythology again!" Malak complained, around a mouthful of food.  
  
"Don't talk with your mouth full, Malak." Revan chided, grinning, "Now as I was saying-"  
  
Malak quickly swallowed the food he had been trying to chew, only just avoiding choking on it, and said, "Come on, Revan. Please, talk about anything but mythology!"  
  
She laughed, "All right, Malak. Anything you want." she said brightly, "We've been interrogating the Katzof general."  
  
"Please tell me you hurt him." Malak said hopefully.  
  
"You did that quiet effectively yourself, Malak." Revan said pointedly.  
  
"He deserves worse." he said coldly.  
  
"What did he do to you?" she asked, "I saw the scars on your chest... and that knife-wound in your stomach was terrible... but if a few injuries are all he did to you, you wouldn't be quite this vicious towards him."  
  
He examined the plate in front of his for a minute... then decided he'd lost his appetite. Good thing he'd eaten enough food to last him for the next week or so, already, anyway. "He threatened me with worse." Malak said quietly... very quietly, "I almost told him what he wanted to hear because of it." he slowly looked up at Revan, "I am eternally grateful that you showed up when you did." he ran his hand subconsciously over his mouth.  
  
Even though he couldn't see it, he could sense Revan's eyes widen, as she did the math. "The blood on your lips..." she whispered... horrified, "That honourless Hutt-spawned rat-bastard will suffer, Malak. Don't you worry about that."  
  
Malak smirked darkly, "Thank you, angel."  
  
Revan reached out a hand, and rested it on top of Malak's hand gently, "Anything for you, Malak." she said quietly, "I should never have sent you on that mission in the first place. I was a fool."  
  
"You didn't know what he had planned." Malak said. He had cursed the mission he had been sent on... and he had cursed his Mandalorian captor a thousand times (many of them in quite fluent Mandalorian, Twi'leki or Huttese - he didn't have Revan's flair for languages, but he could swear in at least a dozen different alien dialects)... but he never even considered blaming Revan for sending him on that mission.  
  
"I should have known." she said morosely, "It's my job to know what's going to happen and make it go my way. I failed you."  
  
"You can't predict everything, Revan."  
  
"I should be able to!" she snapped. She was angry as hell... but at herself.  
  
Malak frowned and shifted his chair around the table until he was sitting next to Revan, rather than opposite her. He placed a comforting arm around her shoulders, "I'm all right, Revan. A few scars... nothing serious happened. Don't beat yourself up over it."  
  
She sighed. He had expected her to shrug off his attempt at comforting her, but instead she leaned against him. He suddenly felt calmer... "Damn it, Revan." he laughed, "I'm trying to comfort you, why do you think you need to make me feel better?"  
  
She smiled faintly, but didn't stop the waves of psychic comfort that washed over him. He had to admit, it did make him feel better.  
  
"Revan, I'm fine, really." he protested.  
  
"Are you sure?" she asked, looking up at him.  
  
"Yes." he said quietly. He had gotten over the torture relatively well... as soon as the pain had gone, he had put it behind him. The threats had really scared him, though. "So tell me what I've missed of the war."  
  
"Nothing much. The Mandalorians tried to take Talravin, two days ago... Sam's fleet stopped them, wiping out half of Dragor clan in the process. While we were distracted by their fleet over Siraun, however, Toreador and Ordo clans invaded Blemcor. That wouldn't have happened if I hadn't sent you into the trap in the first place."  
  
Malak winced. Now that was a good reason to feel guilty. He was actually surprised his personal safety was the first reason she stated for feeling guilty over the trap. He had expected her to care more about an entire planet than one individual like him. "I'm sorry." he said quietly, "I should have been more careful."  
  
"I shouldn't have sent you in the first place." she repeated sadly.  
  
"It was a mistake, yes... but everyone makes mistakes... you're only human, Revan." Malak said softly, he wrapped both arms around her, hugging her protectively. This time she did shrug him off.  
  
"I'm a Jedi. I should be better able to avoid that sort of mistake! It cost thousands of innocent lives, not to mention the fact you were tortured horribly!" she wasn't shouting, but her tone was emphatic enough that to Malak who was sitting right next to her she may as well have been. The way she said it sound like she thought his pain was the more important of the two.  
  
"What's done is done. If we could undo it we would, but we can't, angel." he said quietly.  
  
She sighed, "You're right. I need to focus on the present." she nodded determinedly, "We will retaliate, and the Mandalorians will pay for all the lives they have taken." she looked up at Malak, "And you can interrogate our prisoner personally."  
  
"Thank you." he said, genuinely grateful. He would enjoy eviscerating Rangar... and being able to use the Force to heal his wounds would mean he could do much more damage than the minor cuts he sustained himself.  
  
x x x  
  
Revan escorted Malak back to his quarters. She was still concerned for his welfare, and she wanted to make sure he was all right.  
  
He opened the door to his room, and made a gesture that invited her in. She gave him a quizzical look, but then smiled and stepped into his room. He closed and locked the door behind her.  
  
He hadn't learned much about maintaining his living quarters since he was at the Jedi Temple. His room was still a bit of a pit. There was a clear path across the floor to the bed and to the desk... but the rest of the floor was covered in various types of junk, clean laundry included.  
  
Revan wrinkled her nose as she lowered the hood of her cloak, looking around. "Malak, do you even know how to keep your room tidy?"  
  
"I've heard rumours that some people do that sort of thing... it's not my style, though." he joked.  
  
She grimaced, but then turned her full attention to him, "Just assure me those clothes in the corner are clean."  
  
"They are." he answered immediately.  
  
"I suppose I can live with that." she smiled faintly, "Why did you invite me into your room, Malak?"  
  
"Well, you said the medbay wasn't an appropriate place..." he said. He took a step towards her, and brushed a lock of her hair behind her right ear.  
  
The half-smile on her face showed surprise... this wasn't what she'd expected... though she did realise she probably should have expected it. She also seemed nervous. "The medbay lacks any sense of privacy." she said bluntly. A sure sign she was nervous, if she was trying to be evasive like that.  
  
He gently placed the tips of his fingers under her chin, and tilted her face up towards his. She didn't try to stop him. Slowly, afraid of either scaring her off or making a fool of himself, he lowered his face to hers. Their lips met, for a moment.  
  
Then she threw her arms around his neck, and returned the kiss eagerly. Startled, he wrapped his arms around her waist, still kissing her. Even through the layers of clothing, he could feel her body press against him. He was surprised that she had so suddenly changed her attitude to the idea.  
  
He broke the kiss and whispered against her lips, "Eager, all of a sudden, aren't we?"  
  
"Well..." she answered, looking up into his eyes carefully, "You surprised me in the medbay... but I've had time to consider the idea since then... and I decided I want it."  
  
He raised one eyebrow, "That's good to know." didn't take her long, did it? That incident in the medbay was just a couple of hours ago.  
  
She grinned, and kissed him again. After a couple of minutes, he broke the kiss again, for need of oxygen. He reached up and unfastened her cloak, letting it fall to the ground... but she turned quickly, and caught it before it hit the floor, "Do you have any clothes hangers?"  
  
He blinked and stared at her.  
  
"What? I don't want to get my cloak all creased."  
  
"You really are vain." he muttered, "And if I had any hangers, do you seriously think I'd leave my clothes in piles on the floor?"  
  
"Yes." she answered without hesitation... though she grinned as she said it.  
  
He rolled his eyes, "I don't have any hangers." he said pointedly.  
  
"Oh..." she threw her cloak at a nearby chair, which it miraculously landed neatly folded over the back of, "Then that'll have to do, I guess." when she turned back to face Malak, he had his arms folded and was giving her a sceptical look. "What?" she asked innocently.  
  
"You are so... picky."  
  
"And I picked you." she noted brightly.  
  
He laughed lightly, "That's true, I suppose." he ran his hands down her arms, then reached to undo the belt of her Jedi robe.  
  
She tilted her head to one side innocently, not trying to either stop him or help him. The way she was looking at him made him incredibly self-conscious. She didn't try to catch her Jedi robe as it fell to the floor... leaving her wearing only her off-white sleeveless undershirt, and trousers.  
  
He gestured towards the bed. It was small, only designed for one person, but it would most likely be better than the floor... at least the bedsheets were changed regularly, the floor had yet to hear of the concept of a cleaning droid.  
  
Revan, however, wrinkled her nose at this, "You expect me to lie down on that?" she asked prissily.  
  
"What's wrong with it?" Malak asked defensively.  
  
"Do you even know of the mythical theory of making a bed?"  
  
"I've heard of it... don't see the point, since the second you lie on the bed it's un-made, anyway." he retorted.  
  
She laughed, "Ok, you win." she said, giggling. She sat on the edge of the bed, looking up at him.  
  
He sat next to her, and ran his fingers through her hair... it reached just past her waist, and he had always wanted to know what it felt like... it was as smooth as silk. She tilted her head slightly towards his hand, and his fingers traced down the back of her neck, until his hand rested on her shoulder.  
  
She calmly and methodically removed his Jedi robes, under which he only wore trousers, leaving him topless. She spent some time staring at his chest, before tentatively running her fingers over where the scars had been. He wasn't sure if it was the medbot, or Revan herself... but the scars had been completely healed, and there was no visible trace of them left, not even where he had been stabbed.  
  
"I... can't believe we're actually going to do this..." she whispered.  
  
"If you don't want to-"  
  
"Oh, I do." she interrupted him quickly, "I've wanted to for the last five years. I just... want to savour the moment."  
  
x x x  
  
Malak woke up the next morning, with Revan in his bed... her arms wrapped around his waist, and her cheek resting on his chest. Both their clothes were scattered around the room. She radiated an aura of pure contentment that he hadn't thought possible since this war started. Just looking at her made him smile.  
  
He also felt something else... something he had felt the previous night... something inside his mind.  
  
He gently ran his hand up from Revan's waist to brush lightly over her breast... she shivered, and quickly startled awake, immediately looking up at him, her eyes wide, "Nice wake-up call, Malak." she said, a note of laughter in her tone.  
  
He grinned, "I thought you might like it."  
  
She laughed lightly, and shifted slightly, still leaning against him. In the confined space of a single bed, they really couldn't have slept without making some physical contact, but Revan had seemed to like to 'snuggle' - that's the only word for it - a lot more than he had expected.  
  
'Oh, I definitely liked it...'  
  
Malak looked at her carefully... he was sure he'd heard her voice, but she hadn't opened her mouth. "What the-?"  
  
She laughed again, "I was wondering when you'd notice that." she said brightly.  
  
"Care to explain it to me?" he asked pointedly, propping himself up on his elbows, although he didn't move enough to shift her off him... and he didn't want to, either.  
  
"We studied it in History class..." she noted.  
  
"That doesn't mean I'm ever likely to know about it, now does it?" he asked, trying not to smirk.  
  
She rolled her eyes in an exaggerated gesture of annoyance... the smile on her face, however, showed she was more amused than annoyed. "It's called a Force Bond, Malak. Ever heard of it?"  
  
"Vaguely... what is it?" he asked.  
  
"There are three types of Force bond. Parental... sibling... and lovers. Last night, I formed a Lover's Bond with you."  
  
"Details." he said bluntly.  
  
"A Lover's Bond can only be formed in the height of sexual ecstasy, when both partners are in love, and willing." she paused for a second, then added, "When I say willing, I mean both physically, and mentally... you had to let me into your mind as willingly as I let you into my body."  
  
He raised an eyebrow at the way she had worded that. He remembered her telling him to look into her eyes... and a psychic sensation as he had stared onto the deep sapphire pools of her eyes... her choice of wording now was highly accurate... she had literally penetrated his mind... and he had gladly let her.  
  
Now a part of her mind would always be there, where he could reach out and touch her. He liked this idea. He liked it a lot.  
  
"A Force Bond can only be broken by deepest betrayal." she informed him calmly, "Even when we die, we will be together within the Force."  
  
"Fascinating." he told her.  
  
"There is a vague reference to Lover's Bonds in the Sith texts I took from Master Kendra's office after she died." Revan added.  
  
"Sith texts?"  
  
"Well the other Masters would just have thrown them out. And they had some interesting information in them." Revan said defensively.  
  
She decided, correctly, that distraction might add to her defence, and her fingers traced a light pattern on Malak's thigh. This certainly distracted him. It also made him shiver, in a good way.  
  
"Anyway, as I was saying..." she purred, smiling too innocently, "The Sith texts refer to it derisively as a 'Mind Fuck'."  
  
Malak laughed out loud, "You could easily call it that, Revan."  
  
"I know... that's why I mentioned it." she retorted, smirking.  
  
Malak rolled his eyes, and opened his mouth to say something... but...  
  
An explosion shook the ship. "All hands to battle stations! We are under attack!"  
  
"Oh bugger!" Revan snarled, leaping out of the bed.  
  
Malak sighed dramatically, "No thanks." he muttered. He couldn't even be bothered sitting up, and instead rolled out of bed and grabbed his clothes.  
  
"Lazy." Revan chided.  
  
He stuck his tongue out at her.  
  
"Don't stick your tongue out at me unless you plan to use it." she retorted. She had dressed incredibly quickly, and was now making her way across the room to put her cloak on.  
  
He repeated the immature gesture of sticking his tongue out at her, for that.  
  
The ship shook again. "I hate Mandalorians." she growled. She stood stock-still for a moment, her eyes rolled back... then she grinned darkly, and threw her cloak on.  
  
"What did you just do?" Malak asked.  
  
"Realigned one of their lead ship's engine stabilisers." she said, throwing up her hood, "Much easier than Force wave in a vacuum, but not enough to totally cripple them."  
  
Malak stood up, now fully dressed, "Impressive."  
  
"Let's just get to the bridge." she focused through the door, "There's no one out there... which is a good thing, it means less awkward questions... let's go."  
  
x x x 


	5. Angel

Falling For You  
  
Author's Notes: Carthoholics, the bit before Tatooine in this chapter is for you. Sort of an apology for the DS ending of SCHV. Sort of. My beta pointed out something about prophecies rhyming, even when they're translated from alien languages... gotta say, I don't have a retort to that one.  
  
Lord Valentai: ::bows:: thank you. I prefer to focus on the darker aspects of the story, in this fic... which is probably why that chapter wasn't as bad as the others (the love thing turns dark later on ::straightens her halo... the horns were making it look crooked:: .  
snackfiend101: ::grins gleefully:: glad to be of disservice... though if you though those were bad mental pictures, just wait until after they find the Star Forge... it just gets sicker and sicker from there. ::hands over a chocolate bar:: yep, that reference was a bit blatant, wasn't it? Funny you should mention Carth.  
Trunxluvr82190: Um... well, now that question is very difficult to answer. The way I see it, a bond formed between total strangers should be malleable enough that if the relationship changes so does the nature of the bond. Bastila gave Revan a new life, when the bond was formed. By that technicality, it would start as a parental bond (in spite of Bastila being the younger of the two)... but as soon as the two got to know each other, it would turn into one of the other two forms.  
RollingSkull: lol - cute description. Thank you. Yeah, as I write this very review-response, I have just finished writing some more "disturbing" Malak-torture... in chapter 11 :D The Shadow Priestess: Um... ::tries to think of something to say to that review:: ... hi, Whisper.  
Ozziegrl: Thank you. Actually, if you look at the last part of the DS ending of SCHV, you'll get your answer ::grins:  
yeth: Glad you liked it. Heh, yeah... pesky things, emotions, eh?  
Darth Arachne: ::hands over a chocolate bar:: Cassie's last name isn't Kiddo. The Mandalore-fight will be in chapter 8.  
sammie teufel: ::hands over a chocolate bar:: I know I'm tough on the guy... I'm sadistic towards my fictitious characters. The thing with Rangar, well... it takes something particularly "disturbing" to scare such a brave warrior as Malak... and I needed to do it to help pull him towards the dark side. You think I'm sick and twisted? ::blushes:: you flatter me.  
Prisoner 24601: Thank you. I'm glad you liked it :D  
  
"It's been a long night, trying to find my way,  
Been through the darkness, now I finally have my day,  
And I will see my dream come alive at last,  
I will touch the sky,  
And they're not gonna hold me down no more,  
No they're not gonna change my mind,  
Cause I've got faith of the heart,  
I'm going where my heart will take me,  
I've got faith to believe,  
I can do anything,  
I've got strength of the soul,  
And no one's gonna bend or break me,  
I can reach any star,  
I've got faith, I've got faith, faith of the heart."  
-Russell Watson, Faith of the Heart.  
  
x x x  
  
Chapter 5 - Angel  
  
They made it quickly to the bridge, and Revan immediately demanded, "Report."  
  
Revan had enough authority within the fleet, now, that the crew respond to her orders as if she were their captain. "Three Mandalorian destroyer class warbirds dropped out of hyperspace on all sides of us. We're totally surrounded and outgunned. The Leviathan and the Valiant were due to meet us here in two hours, and we've sent a distress call to them... but the chances of surviving until they get here are-"  
  
"Five thousand six hundred and fifty-five to one." Malak said flatly.  
  
"Our computers said seven thousand eight hundred and ninety-two to one... actually." the ensign retorted.  
  
"Your computers don't account for Revan." Malak said pointedly.  
  
Revan waved her hand to silence the argument. "Scramble the fighter pilots. Malak, find Derrin and join them. Go."  
  
She didn't have to tell him twice. Malak bolted off the bridge.  
  
He wasn't looking for Derrin, but he did run into him on his way to the docking bays. "Hey, horn-face!" Malak snapped, grabbing Derrin's arm and not breaking stride.  
  
Derrin fell quickly into step with Malak, "What is it, hair-brain?" he asked.  
  
"The Defiant is under attack, or hadn't you noticed?" Malak said snidely.  
  
"I'd noticed... hence I was headed for the blasters." Derrin retorted.  
  
"Well Revan wants us both with the fighter pilots." Malak informed him.  
  
Derrin pulled his arm away from Malak's grip, and continued running next to him, "All right. Let's show those Mandies who's boss, shall we?"  
  
"Sounds fun to me." Malak said bluntly. Derrin had a knack for being derisive about pretty much everything. Malak considered it highly likely that to call a Mandalorian by the nickname Derrin came up with, to his face, would be just asking to be dismembered and disembowelled, slowly and painfully.  
  
They reached the docking bay, where the fighters were lined up, ready to go. The ship shuddered again. "Derrin, go with blue squad, I'll take red."  
  
Malak leapt into one of the fighter ships that had a red symbol on it. "What about gold?"  
  
"Not enough Jedi to go around. Revan's more useful from the bridge, and the three of us are the only Jedi that're on the Defiant at the moment." Malak replied coolly. There were only three fighter squadrons resident on the Defiant, referred to by colour-code: red, gold and blue. Gold was the elite, which was why Malak considered them able to look after themselves.  
  
Derrin shrugged and made his way over to blue squadron.  
  
As soon as they were all ready to launch, the docking bay doors swung open, and they all swooped out towards the enemy ships.  
  
"Red squadron, head for the lead Mandalorian ship." Revan's voice called over the comm, "Gold, starboard flank. Blue, go for the other ship."  
  
The other fighters confirmed the order, and when Malak was sure his whole squad had acknowledged it, so did he.  
  
'Fly safe, love.' the thought rang in his mind, with Revan's voice. It didn't surprise him, but he did smile.  
  
'I will.' he thought, in response.  
  
The battle was hectic, to say the least. The Mandalorians' aim was frightening... but they didn't seem to have brought their war-droids, which were usually only used within atmospheres, and this was a space-battle. That, at least, was a small mercy luck, or the Force, afforded them.  
  
Revan gave direct instructions to all three squadrons, and because of that, they did manage to take out some essential systems in the Mandalorian ships. Shields on the ship blue squad were fighting were the first thing to go.  
  
Derrin's whoop of joy at striking the first blow was short-lived, as two of his squad were shot down almost immediately after.  
  
"Derrin, aim for their weapons next!" Revan's voice ordered over the comm.  
  
"You got it, boss." Derrin replied.  
  
Six more pilots - three from gold, two red and one blue - were shot down before gold squad succeeded in crippling the ship they were targeting. Malak only evaded the enemy blaster fire through either luck, the Force, or... he could feel Revan's mind guiding him as he piloted the fighter ship... she was protecting him.  
  
'On the bright side, we're distracting them from the Defiant.' Malak thought bitterly.  
  
'I'm doing my best to distract them from you.' Revan replied, her thoughts perfectly calm, in spite of the torrent of emotion they could both feel around them.  
  
Gold squad joined red, to attack the lead ship. Derrin's squad lost five more ships, leaving only Derrin and one other pilot to try to take out their opponent.  
  
"Gold six, seven and eight, go help blue out." a voice called over the comm. Malak assumed the voice was gold-leader, because only the three squad leaders gave orders like that in a situation like this.  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
"On it."  
  
"Yes sir." the three fighters in question replied, before veering off to join blue squad.  
  
With their help, Derrin eliminated their opponent's weapons... not before gold seven and the last blue ship bit the dust as well, though. Derrin flew, a zigzag course that barely dodged a volley of blaster fire from the lead enemy ship, heading over to join the assault on the lead Mandalorian ship, flanked by the two gold ships. The Mandalorian ship shot down another six gold-squad ships, and the rest of red squad.  
  
Only the two Jedi, and gold-leader were still alive.  
  
"This is getting hairy." Derrin muttered.  
  
"Someone take out those blasters." Malak snapped, dodging another round of fire.  
  
"Can't with their shields up." gold-leader noted.  
  
Suddenly, and quite inexplicably, the shield generator exploded, "That help you boys?" Revan asked over the comm.  
  
Before they could thank Revan, gold-leader had dived in towards the main gun-turret, while it was aimed at Malak's ship, and blasted it into oblivion. He barely dodged a volley from another turret. Derrin mimicked him, taking out the offending turret while it was aiming at gold-leader.  
  
Malak circled around, and fired at the bridge of the Mandalorian ship, causing a hull-breach. Now that's how to cripple an enemy ship.  
  
This time, because the fight was actually over, Derrin had plenty of time to whoop, cheer, call the now-dead Mandalorians all the obscene names he could think of, and offer to buy Malak and the surviving fighter pilot a drink.  
  
"Derrin." Malak said pointedly.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Just because you know how to shoot things, it doesn't make you a good fighter. Knowing when to shut the hell up helps!"  
  
He heard stifled laughter over the comm, and it wasn't Derrin's.  
  
Malak smirked faintly - clearly the gold-leader had some semblance of a sense of humour, "Let's just get back to the Defiant, all right?" he asked.  
  
"Fine by me." Derrin said, turning immediately to fly back to the ship.  
  
"That's got my vote." gold-leader added.  
  
"Race you." Derrin cheered.  
  
"Immature brat." Malak muttered. Yet he turned his ship around to pursue Derrin as fast as he could.  
  
Again, the other pilot laughed, and followed them.  
  
x x x  
  
"Wow, Malak. You really kicked ass, out there." Derrin cheered. The three of them - the survivors of that firefight - had disembarked onto the Defiant. Derrin had proceeded to do a victory dance. "I've never seen anyone fly like that. I mean wow!"  
  
"Derrin, you insensitive prat." Malak growled, "If you didn't have sharp horns on your head... and if I weren't a civilised Jedi... I'd whack you in the ear."  
  
"I'll whack him for you. It'd be worth the medpacs." the pilot who had led gold squadron said coldly.  
  
"What I do?" Derrin whined, "We did win, didn't we?"  
  
"And you're acting like those pilots who died in the fight don't count!" Malak snapped.  
  
The other pilot leaned against the nose of his fighter, watching the two Jedi carefully. He had auburn hair, and brown eyes - he seemed to have a fairly amicable aura, but he was being incredibly wary of the Jedi, like he didn't know how to act around them.  
  
Derrin sobered quickly, "You're right. It's just that we whooped three warbirds' asses with only thirty fighters."  
  
"Twenty-seven of which didn't make it, so quit celebrating." Malak snarled.  
  
"The point..." the other fighter said tentatively, "as far as I can see, is that we're still alive. Sure we shouldn't be happy the others are dead... but at least we're the ones alive, and not those Mandalorians who attacked us."  
  
Malak smiled weakly, "You're right."  
  
"And I sure wouldn't turn down your offer of a drink, Jedi." the pilot added.  
  
Derrin laughed, "Good point. Let's go to the mess hall. Come on, Malak." he grabbed Malak's arm, and dragged him away from the fighter ships. The pilot followed a short distance away.  
  
x x x  
  
As they sat in the crew lounge, which had a small bar attached to it, for just such a celebration, Malak sat petulantly glaring at Derrin. Derrin was doing his best to get both himself and Malak drunk... as far as Derrin cared, the other pilot could either get drunk or not, as long as he didn't spoil Derrin's fun.  
  
"You're acting like a moron, Derrin." Malak said pointedly, "Though that's nothing new. But I thought you had learned how to behave like a proper Jedi?"  
  
"I've been taught... doesn't mean I learned anything."  
  
"Immature brat." Malak muttered, "There is no reason to be so hyper after a fight like that."  
  
"It was just such a rush, is all. I've never been in a space-battle before." Derrin replied.  
  
"Battle-lust is beneficial to a Force-blind fighter, but for the likes of you and I, it can only lead to the dark side." Malak growled. He had also felt a rush during the fight, but it sure hadn't been battle-lust... he had felt battle-lust before, and this was different... he wasn't certain, but he thought it was probably Revan's presence in his mind, helping him, protecting him, that had given him that feeling.  
  
Derrin rolled his eyes, "Whatever."  
  
Malak scowled at Derrin for a second, then turned to the surviving pilot, "I apologise for my comrade's behaviour."  
  
"Everyone deals with this sort of situation in a different way." the pilot said calmly, "It doesn't really bother me."  
  
Malak shrugged, "Well, if that is your opinion... I suppose you're right. You fought well, out there, soldier."  
  
"Thank you, sir." the soldier replied, seeming to stiffen in his seat, as if he wanted to stand to attention and salute.  
  
"Hey, look at you." another voice, which Malak quickly realised was attached to a younger human man, with sandy coloured hair... the human in question was standing near the fighter-pilot, "Buddying up with the Jedi."  
  
The fighter pilot waved him off, muttering something Malak didn't quite hear.  
  
"So are you gonna get Malak's autograph, or something?" the younger man asked, a little too loudly.  
  
The pilot glared at him, "You are kidding me, right?" The younger man shook his head, giving him a 'duh' look. The pilot rolled his eyes and smiled innocently, "Allow me to introduce you. Aaron, this is Jedi Derrin. You'll get on great together." he stood up and made to leave, "Have fun." he hastily made his exit from the lounge, and Malak quickly stood and followed him.  
  
"Thank you." Malak muttered, glancing over his shoulder to ensure that neither Derrin nor Aaron were following them.  
  
The pilot jumped slightly, and turned to face Malak, "No problem, Master Jedi." he said, smirking slightly.  
  
"I'm not a Master." Malak said - it had become an automatic response, since so many people see any Jedi and assume the title 'Master' goes with them.  
  
The pilot shrugged, "Sorry, sir." Revan and Malak were technically not a part of the fleet, but they had been given the authority of Vice Admirals, within the fleet. The title 'sir' was just about acceptable to Malak... though he would prefer it if the pilot just dropped the formalities altogether. Though, the fleet soldiers did find it difficult to see the Jedi for what they were - just regular humans (well, except Derrin, but he's still a sentient being... just about), with different skills to them.  
  
"You're not the first person to make that common error. Don't worry about it." Malak said, shrugging, "Revan and I are only Jedi Knights. No Masters were sent with us, because the Jedi Masters did not approve of us being here at all."  
  
The pilot nodded, "I heard that's why so few Jedi came out here."  
  
Malak nodded.  
  
'Hey, lover... get your gorgeous ass up to my briefing room... the Admiral wants to talk to us.' Revan's voice declared, in his mind... it was most disconcerting.  
  
'Must you make such lewd remarks where I cannot pretend I didn't hear them?' he thought back.  
  
'Yes. Not get the aforementioned ass up here now! I want something nice to look at while I talk to the Admiral.'  
  
Malak had to struggle to keep his expression neutral, but he managed it, "I have go, now." he nodded to the pilot, "Thanks, again."  
  
The pilot saluted, as Malak turned to walk away. He made it around the corner before he realised he hadn't even found out the pilot's name. He made a point of knowing the names of everyone he worked with. Meh, he could ask the next time he saw the pilot in question. It may be a big army, but the odds were good that they encounter each other again, eventually.  
  
x x x  
  
That would be the last time Revan or Malak ever saw the Admiral. The Valiant, Admiral Var's flagship, was destroyed in another attack, similar to that on the Defiant, two weeks later. The Defiant and Leviathan both received the distress call, and just dropped out of hyperspace in time to see the Valiant's hyperdrive being hit by a volley from the lead Mandalorian ship, causing an unstoppable chain-reaction that destroyed the ship. No one survived the explosion.  
  
The three Mandalore warbirds then turned on the Defiant and Leviathan. Knowing the Defiant held three of the Republic's Jedi warriors, they charged the Defiant, taking out their shield generators and sublight engines, and causing a hull breach in the aft cargo bay, before jumping to hyperspace, knowing better than to really chance their luck against the Jedi, without backup.  
  
The Leviathan was left undamaged, and Revan ordered it to go on to their destination. They had been planning to meet up with a larger fleet, to defend Xenon - a civilian world on a vital hyperspace route. The Mandalorians were likely to try to take it for strategic value, and Revan didn't want them to kill any more innocent civilians, if she could stop them.  
  
The Defiant was in no condition, however, to go on. Revan sent Derrin with the Leviathan... and Cassie would be meeting him at Xenon. Then the Defiant limped to the nearest planet capable of repairing them. They sent down a shuttle to negotiate the price for repairs.  
  
"Five thousand credits?!" Revan demanded. She and Malak stood before a representative of Czerka Corporation, the company that owned the mining facility and small shipyard on this Force-forsaken rock. Tatooine.  
  
Revan's near-white robes and cloak had been replaced by clothing that was identical besides the colour - it was actually possible that she had dyed the originals to create these. They were blood red. He never asked her, but he still knew, through their bond, that she believed white was for innocence. She chose the red colour because she was no longer a virgin. The three colours: white, red, and midnight blue-black, signified three incarnations of the goddess which had been worshipped by ancient people on Deralia - the maiden, the nymph, and the crone. The red had the added advantage of concealing blood.  
  
Malak still wore his dark blue Jedi robes, though the small unobtrusive pieces of armour on his forearms, which weren't enough to inhibit his use of the Force, were cortosis weave, strong enough to block vibroblades and lightsabers alike. He had also managed to root out a light grey cloak from the bottom of the pile of clothing in his room, to help protect him from the twin suns of this world... but he really did not like wearing cloaks, so it would likely be dumped somewhere as soon as they got off this pit of a world.  
  
"Your vessel is larger than our docking facility can accommodate. It is expensive to repair a vessel without the proper docking facilities." the representative explained. Malak was surprised to see that the Czerka rep kept her emotions as unreadable as a well-trained Jedi. She seemed almost droid-like.  
  
"We don't have five thousand credits." Revan growled. Her voice was low, and if Malak hadn't known her, he might have thought she sounded masculine. That was probably deliberate, though - Revan did like to confuse people about her gender. The fact that Derrin had very recently picked up on this, and happily obliged her trickery by spreading libellous rumours about Revan and Cassie, had helped perpetuate the illusion.  
  
"You should consider yourselves lucky you are dealing with us, rather than the dominant Hutts on this planet. They would only accept Hutt Gold." the Czerka rep said coldly.  
  
Malak could feel Revan roll her eyes, even though he could not see her face, "There must be some form of compromise or barter you would accept?"  
  
"We do accept spice, weapons, fuel, droids, and bio-acquisitions." the Czerka rep said calmly.  
  
Revan's eyes narrowed to vicious slits, and Malak sensed revulsion from her, "Bio-acquisitions... you mean slaves?"  
  
"Well, yes." the Czerka rep said, as if this should have been obvious.  
  
Malak now understood why Revan was so disgusted - he felt the same way. "We cannot afford to part with any droids, weaponry or fuel." Malak growled, "And we are not so disreputable as to deal in spice and slaves. There must be another alternative."  
  
The Czerka rep seemed unruffled by Malak's insult, "Perhaps there is something." she evaluated the two Jedi before her, carefully, "We have been having some difficulties regarding the local savages. Sand People. If you could, ah, take care of them, we would gratefully reduce the price of your repairs."  
  
"Five hundred credits is all we have to spare." Revan noted pointedly. It wasn't technically a lie. The Defiant did have about three thousand credits, but they couldn't afford to spend all of it here. They may need it later. Five hundred was a reasonable price for repairs. Czerka were just being greedy.  
  
"If you eliminate the Sand People problem for us, that amount will do nicely." the Czerka rep said, too cheerfully, "The tribe that has been bothering us is to the north of here. Here are your hunting licences, to allow you to leave the city. Have a nice day."  
  
x x x  
  
"Have a nice day." Malak mimicked snidely, "You know where those Czerka prats can stick their bloody repair charges."  
  
Revan chuckled darkly. The mental picture Malak had conjured, which happened to involve a Sand People gaffi-stick, had been passed through the bond quite effectively. "That, I might pay to see." she replied, "I cannot believe the nerve of those fools. They have the tenacity to attempt to purchase spice and slaves from us."  
  
"Jedi just don't get involved in that sort of thing." Malak added. It had been her thought, but he agreed with it strongly enough to say it himself.  
  
"Exactly." Revan agreed.  
  
Malak examined the hunting licence carefully. It was a small piece of laminated card, and he added it to the gaffi-stick, in the twisted mental picture. Revan gave him an amused look, "You have a sick mind, Malak."  
  
He shrugged innocently, "That Czerka rep just has one of those 'punch me' faces."  
  
"And her voice doesn't help." Revan noted.  
  
"Nor does her attitude." Malak added.  
  
Revan sighed, "Well, we shall have to find a way to settle this problem. We cannot afford their prices without this barter."  
  
Malak sighed, and grabbed Revan's arm gently, pulling her into the nearby cantina. They found a table in a corner, and Malak sat with his back to one wall. Revan sat with her back to the other wall. 'What?' she asked in his mind.  
  
'Aside from the fact I wanted to get out of the sun for a bit, you mean?' he replied, smirking faintly. He had lowered the hood of his cloak, but she had not lowered hers.  
  
'Don't play innocent with me, Malak. I can read your mind, remember?' Revan noted, amused.  
  
'How could I possibly forget?' he asked. He didn't wait for her to answer... it was a rhetorical question, and she knew it, "I just thought that perhaps it would be more comfortable to sit down to discuss our plans, regarding the Sand People." he said out loud, though his voice was low enough that he reckoned those at nearby tables wouldn't hear him.  
  
"I suppose you are right. It is cooler in here... and I do prefer not to stand around all the time." she agreed.  
  
"It seemed obvious to me that the Czerka thought they were hiring killers." Malak noted.  
  
"I got that impression too." she sighed, "I don't like the idea, but what else are we to do? Lose the war? It's not like the Sand People are really sentient, anyway..."  
  
A Duros at the next table stood up, so sharply that his chair fell to the floor, and he turned on Revan, shouting angrily in his own language.  
  
Malak was about to tell the Duros to sod off and mind his own business, but- 'Let me deal with this, Malak.' Revan then spoke to the Duros, in soothing tones, but in the Duros' own language. Malak didn't follow a word of it.  
  
He tried to reach into Revan's mind, to understand what she was saying... but that didn't help... she was literally thinking in the language she spoke. He could sense her feelings, which were intent curiosity, and some hope as well. He couldn't tell anything beyond that, and it annoyed him no end.  
  
The conversation lasted for a few minutes, during which Malak tried to pretend he either knew what they were talking about, or didn't care... or hopefully both. Eventually, the Duros, who seemed much calmer now, nodded to Revan then turned and left.  
  
"What was that about?" Malak asked her.  
  
Revan looked up at him, and smiled, "His name was Zerlon. He's a conservationist, who has apparently been arguing with Czerka over their Sand People problems, for the last several years. He believes it should be possible to settle the situation without violence, though it would be incredibly difficult."  
  
"Sounds like a good idea." Malak agreed, "I would much rather not kill, if I could avoid it." In truth, he had become disturbed by the glee, however fleeting, that he had felt when killing their Mandalorian foes during the war. He had hoped this stop on Tatooine would be a break during which he could meditate, and reign in his bloodlust. Killing Sand People, sentient or not, would not help him in this.  
  
Revan smiled, "Indeed." she was unaware of his thoughts. It was possible for them to block each other in the bond... Revan didn't seem to be trying to, though there were parts of her mind he hadn't tried to pry into yet. Malak did prefer to keep his darker thoughts locked up, though... he knew Revan had enough dark thoughts of her own without his problems on top of it all.  
  
"So... what do you suggest we do?" Malak asked.  
  
Revan frowned, though he still couldn't see her face, "I suppose we should go out into the desert. We do have swoop-bikes on the shuttle. It will make it easier than walking."  
  
"Swoop bikes?" he asked, surprised, "Why do we have swoop bikes?"  
  
"Would you want to land on a vast world, and your strike team get exhausted walking to the enemy? Swoop bikes are useful even in war."  
  
"Hmmm... true." he smiled, "This mission suddenly sounds a lot more fun."  
  
x x x  
  
Revan's bike made the now-familiar click-hiss as it stepped up a gear and shot ahead of Malak. She let out a whoop of delight at the adrenaline and speed. Malak smiled, and shifted up a gear, catching up with her. The speeds they reached might have made a seasoned swoop racer blanch in terror. Revan's hood had fallen back within seconds of leaving the city, and her scarlet cloak and jet-black hair flew out behind her, as she streaked across the desert.  
  
Of the dozen swoop bikes, Revan had chosen the only one with crimson paint - there were also green ones, tan ones, and white ones, designed to camouflage in different terrains - but Revan picked the red one. Malak's bike was painted a tan colour, for the desert.  
  
After a few minutes of their exhilarating race, Revan looked up sharply, and clicked out of gear, applying the breaks to her bike. Malak slowed a bit more sharply, downshifting through all the gears, like the manual says you're supposed to. Revan glided to a graceful stop, and pulled her hood up, 'Over there...' she was looking out to the northeast.  
  
Malak followed her gaze, and saw a dozen figures running across the dunes. They were all covered from head-to-toe in sand-coloured wrappings, and carried gnarled primitive staffs. Their auras, Revan's mind told him, tried to blend with the desert itself. 'Sand People.' Malak though, watching them.  
  
Revan nodded, and scanned the area. There was a rock-formation not far from them, and she indicated toward it. She guided her bike in that direction, and it wasn't long until their two swoop bikes were parked in the mouth of a cave where they weren't likely to be seen.  
  
'Uh... Revan...'  
  
Revan looked up to see what Malak sounded so worried about. The Sand People had vanished, and there was a sandstorm moving in on them. 'Oh crap.'  
  
'I think we should stay in this cave until it passes.' Malak suggested.  
  
'Good idea.' they retreated into the cave, dragging the swoop bikes with them.  
  
x x x  
  
Hours passed, and the storm showed no signs of abating.  
  
"How long do Tatooine sandstorms last, anyway?" Malak asked. He was bored out of both his mind and Revan's. It was driving him to distraction, and she had shut his incessant thoughts on speeder mechanics and lightsaber moves - an attempt to not be bored on his part - out of her mind.  
  
"They can last for days. The longest on record is seven days." she answered.  
  
He literally felt the point where his resolve snapped, and he gave in, "All right, Revan. I surrender."  
  
Her eyes lit up. "Really? That was quick."  
  
"I'm willing to listen." he said, his tone resigned.  
  
She grinned, "Great!" she cheered, "All right, then. We can start with Mandalorians."  
  
He actually regarded her with abnormally intent curiosity. Mandalorians were probably the only aspect of this that he would really be interested in.  
  
"Mandalorian mythology." she announced with unnecessary glee. "The Mandalorians believe that the first Mandalore - the one whose true name was actually Mandalore, because all those since were named after him as a title - slew their gods, and took their powers and duties onto himself. Every new Mandalore dons their predecessor's mask and belt - the mask is the more important of the two by far - to claim these powers themselves. The belt, which holsters guns and blades, supposedly belonged to their god of youth, learning, and familial bonds. He wore white armour, as a sign of relative innocence, though he had shed blood, he was still the most naive of the Mandalorian gods... I should note practically every culture in the galaxy - with the exception of the Iridorians, whose innocents wear a gaping wound on their neck where their head should be - believe white is a colour of innocence."  
  
"Nice. Remind me never to go to Iridoria."  
  
"It doesn't have an atmosphere humans can breathe, anyway." Revan noted cheerfully.  
  
"That helps, I suppose." Malak muttered.  
  
"The mask of Mandalore was said to belong to their god of passion, love and war. Technically, both he and the god of youth were neither male nor female, but both... though they both preferred to appear as male." Revan continued brightly. "The god of war wore red armour and a black mask stained red by millennia of his enemies' blood. Both gods wielded awesome powers, commanded the stars themselves, but Mandalore stood alone against them, and lived to tell the tale. But while he was in the land of the gods, he met a more dangerous creature. The angel of death. Like the gods, the angel of death could appear as male or female... she chose a female form. She wore black voluminous robes, that had they been sewn with stars they could have been the night sky. And to gaze into her eyes was said to turn men to stone. Her servants flew Basilisk droids, and Mandalore slew every one of her minions to reach her, claiming the droids as his own, as he did so. The legend said to kill the angel of death, all you had to do was kiss her... but he couldn't bring himself to slay such a beautiful creature, for when she lowered the hood of her shroud, with her eyes closed, he fell in love with her."  
  
"Sounds familiar." Malak muttered, lowering Revan's hood.  
  
She smirked at him, "I could make an obscene reference to parts of you 'turning to stone'... but that would be inappropriate." she noted, amused.  
  
Malak did pick up on her thoughts, however, and spluttered, blushing intensely.  
  
Revan laughed lightly, and continued her story, "The angel returned Mandalore's love, and he fathered an heir by her. But many years later, when their heir was old enough to succeed him, Mandalore's greed overtook him, and he kissed the angel. She opened her eyes, and they both died in that moment. Mandalore's statue still stands on the Mandalorian homeworld... but a few Mandalorians are sceptical over whether it is merely a statue... or Mandalore himself."  
  
"Somehow I doubt a woman can turn a man to stone." Malak said, "Not in the literal sense, anyway." he added in a mutter.  
  
Revan smiled innocently at him, "But she wasn't a woman... she was an angel. And there is a prophecy that says she will return to avenge her demise. When Mandalore's clans overstep their bounds, the angel of death will return to punish them, and only a few shall survive." her eyes were lit up darkly, "She will wreak havoc on their armies, and destroy the droids they stole from her. She will sunder the greatest powers of the galaxy, and only one Mandalorian warrior will survive with his honour intact. That one is referred to as the phoenix, rising from the ashes of the wars, to redeem his people as the angel redeems herself."  
  
"Sounds like a load of posturing and rubbish to me. Prophecies only come true if made by the Force-strong." Malak said coldly.  
  
"The angel and the gods wielded the elements." Revan said flatly, "And the gods made the prophecy with their dying words."  
  
"But these are just legends!"  
  
"Legends I intend to exploit, to terrify my enemy." Revan said, tilting her head back arrogantly.  
  
"You plan to pose as an angel?" Malak chuckled darkly, "You could pass for one well enough, I think."  
  
Revan smiled, "Thank you, Malak."  
  
"Anytime, angel." he said, smirking. 'Now weren't you thinking something obscene not long ago?' he thought, leaning over to her, and kissing her lips passionately.  
  
x x x  
  
The floor of the cave was not comfortable. Revan was both lucky and persistent, in that she was lying on top of Malak, as he lay on his back. He was the one who had to put up with the uncomfortable stone ground. She was fast asleep, but he couldn't get any rest... so instead, he watched her. She really did look like an angel to him... it was why he called her by that pet-name.  
  
The sandstorm had been raging for two days, now. They had enough rations to do them for three more days, but after that there could be problems. Revan opened her eyes and made an incoherent noise that went with the thought, 'Don't wanna be awake.'  
  
Malak chuckled, amused, "Good morning."  
  
"What's good about it?" Revan retorted snidely, "I still see sandstorm out there."  
  
"Yeah, but it is definitely morning." Malak noted.  
  
Revan snorted.  
  
"What's the matter?" he asked.  
  
She groaned as she sat up, "I'm just... tired. I don't know why."  
  
Malak could think of a few reasons. The measly supplies they had did not make good eating. The desert heat could make you drowsy. And Malak's ideas on methods to pass the time were... exhausting... for both of them.  
  
"Yes... that last one." she muttered, having picked up on his train of thought.  
  
Malak laughed, "I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult."  
  
"It would be a compliment if we weren't in such an uncomfortable cave." she said blithely.  
  
"I'm the one who has to sleep on the ground." Malak protested.  
  
Revan laughed, and sat up slowly, stretching... she then stood and stretched again. Malak idly considered that the show might be more fascinating if she hadn't been wearing the trousers and undershirt of her Jedi attire. He was still wearing his robes, as well, as he sat up.  
  
"Much as I like your idea of a distraction from the boredom of this situation..." she noted, stretching her arms out in front of her.  
  
He could tell what she was thinking, "You want to meditate, instead?" he asked, trying not to laugh.  
  
"Not so much want... but I haven't had five minutes of free time not spent sleeping, since this war started." she said flatly, "Or... doing other activities in bed." she added without changing the matter-of-fact tone, "Master Kendra would not be happy that I have neglected my meditations."  
  
"I had hoped to use the Tatooine stop to catch up on my own meditation, actually." Malak noted.  
  
"Then perhaps it may help with the boredom." she said, 'And give me time to recover before we try your distractions again.'  
  
'That bad?' he asked in her mind.  
  
'That good, more like.' she replied, her eyes glittering with the smirk she managed to keep off her face.  
  
Malak crossed his legs, and watched as Revan sat opposite him, with her legs crossed so her feet rested on top of her thighs (a feat of physical flexibility that he could never quite accomplish). She rested her hands on her knees, and closed her eyes. 'I thought you said you wanted to meditate?' she asked in his mind.  
  
'I did say that, yes.' Malak thought.  
  
'Then why are you staring at me?' she asked, her eyes still closed.  
  
'Because you're beautiful.' was the first thought to cross his mind in answer.  
  
She opened one eye, and smiled at him... then closed her eyes again, and he could sense her slip into a deep meditative trance. Malak closed his own eyes, and let himself relax, as well. Soon he could reach out into the Force, feel the world around him.  
  
Tatooine was a totally different experience from Coruscant. He wasn't an empath, so these mediations were the only way for him to really sense sentient auras, and nature's ripples within the Force... and Coruscant was the only planet he had meditated on before.  
  
He reached out into the Force, outside the cave... the weather itself writhed with energy, and the sentient life sheltering from it seemed to melt into the sand. But after a short while, he sensed something in the back of his mind. Something within the cave itself. They hadn't thoroughly investigated their shelter, but Revan had declared that there was nothing alive in it. But whatever he sensed, it was... persistent. Come to me. I'm waiting for you.  
  
x x x  
  
Malak's eyes snapped open, and Revan was gone.  
  
He reached out to her with his mind, an innocent query to where she was... but she deliberately shut him out of her mind. He frowned, and stood up, using his Force senses to detect life... if the two of them were the only living things in this cave, and the storm still raged outside, he should be able to find her this way. He took note of the fact her cloak and robes were also absent, likely meaning she was now wearing them.  
  
He walked cautiously deeper into the cave. That... that presence he had sensed in his meditation... it was still in the back of his mind. It called to him... and he couldn't swear to it, because she had constructed an impenetrable mental defence, but he was sure it called to Revan as well.  
  
The light from outside did not reach this far back into the cave, so Malak produced a glowrod from his utility belt, and held it up to see where he was going. The stone walls of the cave seemed almost too angular and consistent to be natural, and the eerie blue light of the glowrod just made it seem even more surreal.  
  
Then the light shone onto a figure, standing with her back to him. It had to be Revan, but she was still blocking him from her mind. Her hood was lowered, and her hair fell down over her cloak. Her full attention was focused on a dark, sinister object before her.  
  
A tall spire of jet-black metal, supported by three feet spread out on the ground, which mirrored the shape of the spire itself. Malak could sense waves of power radiating from this object, whatever it was. It seemed to suck in the light around it... and as it did so, it felt almost as if it were sucking in a piece of his soul, as well. He shivered, and realised that this part of the cave was abnormally cold for a desert.  
  
He stopped a few feet behind Revan, "What is it?" he asked quietly, breaking the oppressive silence.  
  
She was noticeably startled, and dropped all her mental defences, letting him see into her mind again. It was as if this object had wrapped tendrils of its power around her heart. Malak made a deliberate effort to undo that, and for the most part he succeeded.  
  
"I don't know what it is, Malak... but it... it's beautiful." she raised a hand, and touched the tip of the black spire. A palpable wave of power washed over both of them, and a low hum could now be heard from the object. Revan slowly traced a single finger down the side of the object. A click, followed by a whirring sound... and the spire split in three, flowering out towards the three feet of the base.  
  
Revan simply watched as two of the segments of the spire spread out on either side of her. Malak, however, took a fearful step back, and mentally urged Revan to do the same. She didn't react to his plea.  
  
Lights erupted from the base of the object, engulfing Revan from the waist up, and coalescing into a sphere of glittering sparkling points of light around her. She looked around herself in wonder... 'It looks like...'  
  
"A galaxy." Malak said quietly.  
  
Revan took a quick step back, out of the middle of the lights, and began examining the image from a better angle. "Our galaxy, Malak... look, the Core Worlds-" she ran her hands through the lights, indicating Coruscant, Alderaan, and the other Core Worlds, "-the Outer Rim-" she swept her hand over a large semi-circle of stars, "-this is where the war is being fought-" she indicated another area near the Outer Rim. "- this is amazing." she continued to examine the projection.  
  
Malak circled around to get a better angle to look at the image from... but he didn't move any closer, "What's that at the bottom?" he asked.  
  
Revan's gaze dropped to the odd designs at the bottom of the projection. "It could be writing." she knelt, and began studying it carefully.  
  
"It's three-dimensional." Malak said flatly, as if that negated the chance of it being writing.  
  
"Some ancient Sith writing used the z axis to portray the Force in words." she mumbled, still studying the images.  
  
Malak folded his arms, and started pacing irritably, "Sith?"  
  
"Any Force-sensitive group that has its own language could do the same. Isolated pre-Jedi could have created a similar concept. It's not inconceivable." she looked up at him. He was giving her a blank look, "I mean it's not necessarily Sith. I was just giving an example."  
  
Malak visibly relaxed, but continued his irritable pacing.  
  
It took Revan about half an hour to announce, "I think I've figured it out."  
  
"What does it say?" Malak asked immediately. He had eventually sat, leaning back against the wall, and just staring blankly at Revan and the map. But now, he was looking at her intently.  
  
"'A world of dark, and a world of light,  
Hold two of the keys to ultimate might.  
Five keys unlock the gates to the source,  
Earth, air, fire, water, and the Force.  
The way is paved with good intentions,  
Unleash the powers of ancient inventions.'"  
  
Malak's brow furrowed, "I don't like the sound of that."  
  
"Why not?" Revan asked.  
  
"Something about it... the subtext... feels ominous." he said warily. Revan's mind had conveyed the Force meaning from the third dimension of the words... fire had been emphasised, almost saying 'you are here'. It felt as if it wanted to lead, not just guide... and the Force meaning had implied darkness, as well as power.  
  
"Oh don't be so paranoid." Revan said blithely, "Look." she indicated a world on the map.  
  
"Where is that?"  
  
"Water." she said, frowning, "Manaan, if I remember my stellar cartography lessons correctly."  
  
"What has Manaan to do with this?" Malak asked, confused.  
  
"Five keys, to unlock 'ultimate might'." she looked up at him, "If we could find this... this 'source', think how valuable a weapon it must be. Ultimate might. We could have the Mandalorians quailing in terror!" the glitter in her eyes, the hope and enthusiasm in her tone... it could work. They did need all the luck they could get against the Mandalorians, and this map had just been dropped in their laps. How could they possibly pass it up?  
  
"So you're saying there's another of these 'keys' on Manaan?" Malak asked.  
  
"Yes... the other locations are corrupted data, here. The only other one I can make out clearly is referred to as 'the Force'." she looked up at him, no longer so gleeful, "It's Korriban."  
  
"You have got to be kidding me." Malak said coldly, "Korriban is a Sith world!"  
  
"The Sith Lords that ruled it died off a thousand years ago, Malak. It's a ghost town."  
  
"With real ghosts." he retorted.  
  
She rolled her eyes, "We can at least investigate Manaan. What do you say?"  
  
"It couldn't hurt to make a detour... even if we don't find anything, there's no such thing as too much kolto."  
  
Revan nodded, and took a datapad out from a pocket in her robe. She proceeded to copy the verse, annotated with the meanings of its third dimension, then she took down the incomplete coordinates, and finally the coordinates of Manaan and Korriban. As soon as she deactivated her datapad, the map clicked and whirred again, and the deceptively delicate looking spire resealed itself.  
  
x x x  
  
The storm passed over by nightfall, and Revan decided going out at night would be safer than high noon, given the heat of the twin suns. They left their swoop bikes concealed in the cave, and walked in the direction in which Revan detected sentient life.  
  
It didn't take them long to find the Sand People. The battered shelter constructed of animal hides did blend with the desert, in colour at least, but it was still relatively unmissable as they reached the end of the group of rock formations. 'Put up your hood, Malak.' Revan thought pointedly.  
  
'Why?'  
  
'Sand People wear those bizarre wrappings to conceal their entire bodies... well I intend to attempt to respect what little I know of their beliefs... now make sure you're completely covered.'  
  
Malak frowned, but pulled the hood of his cloak up over his head, careful to ensure his face was concealed just as Revan's was. He kept a few steps behind Revan, as she cautiously approached the Sand People enclave. She scanned the area with her mind, and informed him that there were about fifty Sand People living there, but it was unclear because they tried to blend their auras with the sand itself. 'Perhaps we should try that? They may see it as a sign of benevolence.'  
  
'How do we do it?'  
  
He sensed her lower her aura to the ground, a desire to be in harmony with the sands, and to be at peace with the world around her. She focused her thoughts into respect for the nature of the world, and she found the centre of calm within herself, which allowed her to project an air of peaceful intent.  
  
Malak did his best to copy what she had done, but his imitation was poor at best. 'It should be good enough.' Revan thought reassuringly, 'Considering you're not an empath, it's very impressive, actually.'  
  
'Thanks.' he replied, smiling. He knew she sensed his smile, even though she couldn't see his face. She led him down towards the Sand People enclave.  
  
'There aren't any large weapons that I can detect.' she thought, frowning in concentration. She was using Force clairvoyance to see into the enclave, 'Some of them have blaster rifles, but most only carry primitive gaderffii staffs. If a fight becomes unavoidable, at least they shouldn't pose too great a threat to us,'  
  
Malak nodded in answer, and continued to follow her towards the enclave.  
  
A loud howl sounded, and three Sand People charged toward to them. 'Evasive tactics only.' she projected clearly in his mind.  
  
The first Sand Person came at Malak, swinging a gaffi stick at his head. Malak ducked, and circled the Sand Person, without even raising a hand. Revan was successfully evading the other two Sand People. Malak's opponent lunged at him again, and he held up his left arm defensively. The gaderffii slammed into his armour wristband with phenomenal force, giving off sparks, and would likely leave a nasty bruise on his arm.  
  
All right, change tactics - they're strong, so play that against them. He stepped back, and jerked his arm down - the strength the Sand Person had been exerting against Malak's armour sent it staggering, as Malak backed away another step. He checked his hood was still secure - Revan seemed adamant that it was important here.  
  
Malak saw Revan fall to her knees before one of the Sand People... but she was unharmed, and his opponent was taking another swing at his head. He ducked, and had to fight the instinct to kick out at the offending Sand Person.  
  
"We come in peace!" Revan announced, still on her knees. Malak could sense the intentions of her words projected as emotions, to the Sand People. He didn't know if it worked, though.  
  
One Sand Person took a swing at her, roaring angrily - Malak sensed the Sand Person had understood her intent, but believed it a lie and a trick. Revan ducked it, and made a show of cowering on the ground. The Sand Person swung his gaderffii at her head, intent on crushing her skull... but she caught the weapon in her hand. "Please, give me a chance!" she pleaded, once again projecting her meaning as emotion.  
  
The two other Sand People had ceased fighting, though they still appeared incredibly wary. Neither Revan nor Malak had attempted to harm any of them, only defend themselves. This emotion, Revan detected as one roared to the one that had attempted to smash Revan's skull. The one looming over her pulled its weapon sharply away from her, and roared at her.  
  
"I cannot understand what you say... but I wish peace." yet again, she conveyed her words as feelings, and the three Sand People looked at each other. They conversed with each other, and Revan could sense confusion, curiosity, and fear.  
  
Fear of outsiders. Fear of those whose will can be heard. Fear seemed to win out, and after a few minute's debate, the three of them attacked Revan in unison. Malak interposed himself between Revan and the Sand People, and blocked two of their gaderffii with his armoured wrists. The third changed aim mid-swing, and moved to strike Malak's torso while he was unable to use his arms to defend himself. Revan sent a wave of the Force at the three Sand People, sending them all flying several feet across the desert.  
  
One Sand Person roared, and the others responded in grunts. Fear. Terror. Petrifying dread of those who command the elements. The three of them turned and ran.  
  
Revan frowned, as she stood up. 'Why do you suppose they did that?'  
  
'It felt like they thought they'd seen a seriously pissed off mythical creature.' Malak noted.  
  
Revan nodded, still frowning, 'Ability to use the Force... it does scare many primitive species.'  
  
'What now?'  
  
'I suppose we should go to their enclave...' she sighed dejectedly, 'If they are this terrified of us, I am loathe to fuel their fear... but I doubt they will listen to reason from something they so fear.'  
  
x x x  
  
The Sand People were no challenge to eliminate. Revan did try her best to reason with them, but without the ability to comprehend their language, there was no hope of peace with them. They were too savage to outsiders, and they refused to give the two Jedi a chance.  
  
Zerlon was not pleased, when they returned to Anchorhead... but they explained that they had tried their best.  
  
The rest of their stay on Tatooine passed peacefully... either through mediation, or... Malak's idea of distractions.  
  
x x x 


	6. Shattered

Falling For You  
  
Author's Notes: Ok, this is the last nail in Revan's coffin... this is definitively her point of no return. I'm just being cruel to the poor girl, mwhaahahahaaa! Yes, I'm evil... but you already knew this, didn't you? Besides, it's essential to the plot... how else was I gonna get Miss Goody-Two-Shoes to fall to the Dark Side, eh? You gotta admit, though... this would make you pretty homicidal, if you were in her shoes (what's with all the shoe-references?). Chocolate products for whoever figures out where the Mandalorian clanname came from (hint: same place as one of my Jedi Padawans' names).  
  
The Shadow Priestess: lol, it could have been worse. Thanks.  
snackfiend101: What bad images? Thank you, I wasn't sure the map sequence would be accepted - so many people are set in the theory that Dantooine was first. That's not the last we see of our favourite pilot, actually. And thank you for the flattery, it really will get you everywhere with me.  
Ozziegrl: Yep, that's who the pilot was. What's Twisted Fates, though?  
ether-fanfic: ::grins:: glad you liked it. I love - absolutely adore - writing prophecies in fanfics (and when I'm not prophesying, I'm foreshadowing)... and to understand a prophecy like that, I had to get all the background mythology, too, which was also great fun to write. Heh, I like the Mandies, too - they're cool, which is why I'm trying to show more depth to them. Ch4 was supposed to be disturbing, and I was proud of that torture-scene ::grins:  
Darth Arachne: I'd not try it without a spellchecker :p ... my dad can be asked an easy, innocent question on the subject of ancient mythology, and five hours later you'd be banging your head on the table, wishing you'd never said anything, so I know how Malak feels (I still like to use real mythologies as roots for some of what I write - did anyone notice the Basilisk connection?) The word in the map that represents the Force actually translates as: "the universal binding energy of all life", for which they had a one-word symbol, but it wasn't called the Force... actually, its closest Basic one-word translation would be: "Spirit" (and I just realised, if you click on spirit, in MSWord's thesaurus, force is one of the alternatives it offers :p lol)... Revan just made the logical connection (and I wanted it to rhyme, so :p ). Yes, that is the Zabrak in question, but I never said he actually does it, just that it's his fault. Yes, I am debating where to take this fic to... it may even get as far as Malak's final battle with Revan, on the Star Forge, but I'm not sure yet.  
Niliav: Yes! Yes!! Yes!!! :look: that was highly inappropriate (this is what you get when I write back to you while listening to Rocky Horror :oops: ) ... but yes: "The road to hell is paved with good intentions" - I was hoping someone would notice that. It was me foreshadowing blatantly, again ::grinning happily:: I forgot to offer chocolate, last chapter, but ::hands you a chocolate bar:: thank you for spotting that.  
trp0522: Thank you... heh, was the Phoenix that obvious? Glad you liked it.  
Rascarin: Thank you ::bows:: here's more.  
RollingSkull: Almost? Only almost? His appearance was totally gratuitous, damnit! And of course the prophecies were too-perfect, I all but get off on writing prophecies and foreshadowing in my fic ;) :p ... and actually, the Cassie/Revan thing isn't the only inference of femslash in this fic (though I have no plans to indulge in any form of slash beyond mere insinuation... but such idle comments, when left to the imagination, are usually much more fun ;) .  
The Silver Serpent: Well, my sources, regarding Darth Bane, aren't exactly known for being unreliable, but I'd not be surprised if they made a mistake... besides, if I'd not mentioned it in my notes, I doubt anyone'd have noticed the lack of Darthyness :p it's just me being spurious - I do that often :p lol.  
  
"Every now and then I fall apart, and I need you now tonight,  
And I need you more than ever, and if you only hold me tight,  
We'll be holding on forever, and we'll only be making it right,  
Cause we'll never be wrong,  
Together we can take it to the end of the line,  
Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time,  
I don't know what to do; I'm always in the dark,  
We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks,  
I really need you tonight, forever's gonna start tonight.  
Once upon a time, I was falling in love, now I'm only falling apart,  
There's nothing I can do, a total eclipse of the heart.  
Once upon a time, there was light in my life, now there's only love in the dark,  
Nothing I can say, a total eclipse of the heart."  
-Bonnie Tyler, Total Eclipse of the Heart.  
  
x x x  
  
Chapter 6 - Shattered  
  
The battle at Xenon went in the Republic's favour, and the Mandalorians retreated to lick their wounds. Revan arrived a couple of days later, and informed the new Admiral, whose name was Zordoc, that they would retake Deralia from the Mandalorians. Malak knew perfectly well that Revan's whole involvement with the war had been building to this moment, but he didn't say anything to the Admiral.  
  
The Admiral approved this course of action, and the Defiant was sent to lead the strike to recapture Deralia.  
  
All went smoothly - the Mandalorians hadn't expected them to attempt to retake Deralia. It wasn't the logical next step. Logically, they would attempt to push back the Mandalorians around Laynara, which was where the Mandalorians had their strongest fleet stationed at the moment.  
  
But Revan wasn't thinking logically on this point. She wanted to take back her homeworld. She was so set on this goal that she took a dozen ships with her. Overkill, considering the poor defences the Mandalorians had set up on Deralia - they weren't expecting this assault, and that certainly worked in Revan's favour.  
  
The two Mandalorian warbirds in orbit were easily eliminated, with Revan's personal touch... she used the Force to manipulate their key systems... they crashed into each other. They then sent several teams down to the surface, landing in the ruined city, to the east of the military base. The Mandalorians had bombed the city, in their approach to the base, but they hadn't bothered to secure it - civilians were no threat. Captain Karath had been surprised by Revan's adamant decision to join her friend's team on this mission... but he had relented when she told him she believed it was essential that she be there.  
  
Revan picked her way through the eerie ruins of the main street. Malak walked a few steps behind her, watching her carefully. 'It looks so different...' she thought distantly.  
  
'I can't imagine how it used to be.' Malak thought grimly. The desolate ruins literally rang with despair.  
  
Revan stopped, and turned to look at him... in spite of the hood concealing her face, their eyes met. He saw in her mind's eye, this street thriving with life. A small girl being led through the crowd by the hand. Aside from the fact the buildings were intact in this vision... memory... they seemed much taller... bright, colourful, and lively. Beautiful. The woman leading the girl by the hand, Malak recognised as the woman in the picture he had seen in Revan's room at the Jedi Temple. The sights, sounds, and smells of the bustling street were indelibly imprinted in Revan's mind, as was the pain of remembering it.  
  
Malak quickly turned his head away, blinking back tears. He frowned, and slowly looked back to Revan... 'I'm sorry...'  
  
'It's not your fault.' she replied, locking that pain away where he couldn't sense it. She turned sharply, and continued to walk the path Malak now realised was terrifyingly familiar to her. To see such a treasured memory so brutally ripped to shreds like this... he shook his head, he didn't even want to try to imagine how deep her pain ran.  
  
Then Revan's attention turned to a small pile of rubble nearby. She sensed a presence there. "Who's there?" she called warily. There was no hostility in the presence... only fear. "We won't hurt you."  
  
Slowly, a small black-haired girl peeked up over the pile of rubble, "Promise?" she squeaked fearfully.  
  
Revan walked over to the girl, emanating waves of psychic reassurance, "I promise. I'm a Jedi. We're here to help. What's your name, little girl?"  
  
The girl stepped out from her hiding place, and eyed the soldiers warily, "I'm Genie. Genie Star." she looked to be about seven years old... and she looked astoundingly like Revan had at that age.  
  
Revan's eyes widened. Star was a common enough surname, but... "I'm Revan Star." she whispered.  
  
Genie gawped at her for a minute, before grinning brightly, "Mommy said you'd come rescue us! She told me all about you!" Revan couldn't believe it... she was literally stunned, and just stared at Genie for a minute, before the girl elaborated with, "You're my sister!"  
  
Revan tried to speak a few times, but no words came out... eventually, she gave up on the idea of speaking, and gave in to the instinct to drop to her knees and hug Genie, desperately clinging to the young girl. Genie hugged her back, eagerly. The moment was shattered, however, when Revan asked, "Where's momma?"  
  
Genie scowled and took a step back, "Mommy and Daddy both got... got killed by the Mandalorians."  
  
Revan started shaking, fighting desperately to keep her emotions from overwhelming her. Malak did his best to lend her some mental support, but it only really served to let Malak feel a taste of her pain. It made him literally stagger back, reeling in shock.  
  
Genie nervously hugged Revan, and Revan clung protectively, possessively, to her. After a few minutes, Revan seemed to gather her emotions back together. She had cried for her family, when she had first heard that Deralia had been hit... she may have held out a faint sliver of hope for them, but she had known in her heart for a long time that they were gone. She slowly untangled herself from the young girl, and stood up, "Are there... are there any other survivors?" she asked tentatively.  
  
Genie nodded, "Yes. Mr Tamin set up a safe house in the old Czerka building. I can take you there." she offered Revan her hand, and Revan gripped it firmly. Malak got the feeling Revan had no intention of letting go of Genie's hand until they were both safely away from anything that could even vaguely be classed as Mandalorian.  
  
x x x  
  
Genie led them to one of very few buildings that seemed relatively undamaged. The Czerka corporation building. 'I've never been here... I think Czerka set up here when we were twelve.'  
  
Malak frowned, and looked around him. The place still managed to feel clinically detached, even though it had been attacked along with the rest of the city. It was a small building, by Czerka's standards, only one story tall. Eventually, Genie led them into a large meeting hall, with a low ceiling, two fire-exits, and only the one main entrance, through which they came. Malak gestured for their entourage of soldiers to guard the three doors, as Genie led the two of them over to a small huddled group of adult civilians. There were no children there besides Genie.  
  
"Mr Tamin." Genie chirped, as they approached, "These're Jedi, here to rescue us!"  
  
A tall, middle-aged Twi'lek man, with turquoise skin, stood and bowed to the two Jedi, "Thank the heavens!" he said gratefully, "I had begun to fear help would never come. My name is Natal Tamin. I was a friend of Genie's father, before the Mandalorian attack."  
  
"I am Jedi Revan, and this is my partner, Jedi Malak." Malak raised an eyebrow at the term 'partner'. It could have meant anything from 'partner in crime', to 'lover'... though its most likely interpretation would probably be 'fellow Jedi'.  
  
Mr Tamin examined Revan carefully, though he really could see nothing through the hood of her cloak, "Are you... are you Genie's older sister?"  
  
Revan nodded, "Yes... yes, I am." Revan lowered her hood. Malak was amused to sense surprise from the soldiers, when they realised Revan was a woman. She looked around, taking in the small cluster of civilians. There were only seven of them, including Genie and Mr Tamin. "Are you the only survivors?"  
  
"In this city, I am afraid we are." Mr Tamin said sadly.  
  
Revan sighed. There were several small cities on Deralia, all of which had apparently been decimated by the Mandalorians. The largest city was Revan's home, and had the military base right next door to it. There were likely more survivors... but finding them was not the priority. She would take these people on the Defiant - their next planned stop was Tulak, and it would be safe enough for them there. The Republic embassy there could even look after Genie until the war ended.  
  
But that line of thought was interrupted by Revan's commlink beeping. She picked the comm off her belt with her left hand, as her right hand still clung to Genie, "What do you want?" she snapped into the comm.  
  
"Jedi Revan..." Saul Karath's voice called through the comm, "We have a serious problem... three Marauder class warbirds have breached our perimeter... they're headed your way... Jedi Cassandra reported ill-effects when their lead ship passed dangreously close to the Chronus." The Chronus was the ship Cassie had been assigned to.  
  
"Thanks for the heads up." Revan muttered into her comm.  
  
"Ill-effects." Malak said flatly, "What did she mean by that?"  
  
"I hope what I'm thinking it wrong." Revan muttered. 'Ysalamiri.'  
  
'Crap, I hope you're wrong, too.' Malak thought bluntly.  
  
Revan's lip twitched darkly, "We should leave. Now."  
  
She grabbed Mr Tamin's hand, still holding Genie's hand as well... and took a few steps towards the exit, before it happened. The Force fled the room. Genie squeaked, terrified. Malak groaned in frustration, "Not again." he complained.  
  
Revan shivered in suppressed fear, "Hurry." they started to run for the door, but it burst open before they could reach it. The other two doors burst open seconds later.  
  
There were about two-dozen Mandalorian warriors, outnumbering them three-to-one. Revan backed away towards one corner of the room, positioning herself between Genie and the Mandalorians.  
  
Their armour bore the insignia of Katzof clan. Their leader, wearing the same style of general's armour as Rangar had worn, stepped forward, "Well, well, well... Jedi Malak. I had so hoped to one day meet you."  
  
"And you are?" Malak asked snidely, taking a step back from the Mandalorian, to keep a relatively comfortable distance.  
  
"My name is Tarek." the general growled, "I believe you met my brother... Rangar."  
  
"Unfortunately, yes. I've had the severe displeasure of meeting your brother." Malak said coldly, "How did you know?"  
  
"Surveillance footage."  
  
"So you know he defiled your entire family's honour, by taking a prisoner?" Revan asked coldly.  
  
"Who are you, little girl?" Tarek snarled, turning on her.  
  
She smirked, "The angel of death."  
  
Tarek snorted, "Ha. As if."  
  
"You'd be dead already, if you didn't rely on that evil little pet on your ship to stifle my powers." she growled.  
  
"Who are you, really, little girl?" he persisted.  
  
"My name is Revan. But you really should start considering calling me God. Because you are going to be screaming, 'oh my god, the pain, the pain, make it stop' before I get through with you." she said, the picture of calm as she said it.  
  
Malak snorted with quasi-sadistic laughter, at that image. Tarek, on the other hand, laughed with derision. He didn't believe her. "We'll just see about that, Jedi." with a wave of his hand, his warriors attacked.  
  
Eight of them went for Malak, and managed to pin him down with only five fatalities. Six of them went at Revan and Genie. Revan fought them off as best she could, but failed to strike any of them down, and was quickly overwhelmed, and pinned to a nearby wall. Tarek grabbed Genie by the shoulders, holding the young girl in front of him with her back to him, for Revan to see. The other Mandalorians slaughtered the soldiers and civilians in the room, with impunity, in spite of Revan's cries of horror with each innocent death.  
  
"Now... I still don't quite believe that you, little girl, are Jedi Revan." Tarek said calmly, "I always pictured Jedi Revan as... at the very least, a better fighter."  
  
"My power lies in the Force." she growled.  
  
"I see." Tarek smirked darkly, and looked down at the young girl he held prisoner, "You dared imply you were our angel of death. I don't see anyone here being turned to stone, little girl."  
  
Revan's eyes glittered darkly, "Like I said... my power lies in the Force. Get rid of your pet, and I'll quite happily petrify you."  
  
Tarek laughed, "All right... Revan. How about we cut a deal?"  
  
Malak frowned... his commlink headpiece was still in place. He shifted in his captors' grip, so the button on his belt to activate it pressed against the ground.  
  
"What sort of deal?" Revan asked coldly.  
  
Malak's commlink crackled in his ear, now active. "Cassie... Cassie." he whispered, as quietly as he could get away with. He was eternally grateful that the Mandalorians holding him down were all too busy paying attention to Tarek to notice what he was doing.  
  
"You seem incredibly protective of this child here." Tarek said calmly, "If you surrender your fleet... Revan." he said the name with no small degree of sarcasm and disbelief, "I will let her live."  
  
Revan's eyes widened in horror, "I can't surrender the fleet! I don't have that authority!"  
  
"What is it, Malak?" Cassie's voice crackled in Malak's ear, so only he could hear it.  
  
"Kill Bill." he whispered.  
  
"What?" Cassie asked. She paused for a second. Malak had told Cassie that the Ysalamiri she had killed had been named Bill. "Oh... so that's what was on that ship... ok. I'll get on it as quickly as possible."  
  
"Then you lied. You're not Revan." Tarek said coldly.  
  
"I am!" Revan shrieked, "Please, don't hurt her! Take me instead! Please!"  
  
"You had your chance, little girl." Tarek's hand moved like a flash, and a silver vibrosword ran through Genie's heart.  
  
Revan felt it as if she had been the one stabbed through the heart. And she shrieked in horror and impotent rage as Genie fell to the ground in front of her, dead. Even without the Force, Malak could feel an echo of Revan's pain, and he averted his eyes from the horrific sight of the small child's dead body.  
  
There was deathly silence in the hall, for almost thirty seconds. Then an explosion rang overhead, and the Force flooded back to them. Malak threw off the three Mandalorians who had been pinning him down, with a Force wave, and drew his lightsaber.  
  
Revan's eyes lit up, and she drew physical strength from the Force, shoving away the two Mandalorians who held her arms. She then held up her hands, and the whole room charged with electrical current, which flashed around her, striking out at the Mandalorian warriors with blinding energy.  
  
Malak killed off most of the Mandalorians, leaving only Tarek and two other warriors alive... and the two Jedi were between them and all the exits. Revan held her hand out to Malak, to stop him from attacking them.  
  
"You want to be turned to stone, Tarek?" she asked coldly. Malak looked at her... her face looked ashen, her eyes glowed an inhuman shade of gold. She looked almost frightening. Correction - the word 'almost' really shouldn't have been in that sentence.  
  
Tarek backed up a few steps. Revan grinned ferally, and hissed a string of multi-lingual insults, all of which could be translated as either 'dishonourable' or 'bastard'. She then raised her hand, and... Malak wasn't sure what she did, but it set Tarek on fire. Spontaneous human combustion... it shouldn't have been possible. Tarek screamed and writhed in agony, as he burned alive.  
  
Revan watched with cruel, sadistic dispassion, until Tarek was nothing more than a pile of ashes. She then knelt slowly, calmly, next to the pile of ash, and clenched her fist over it... Force grip... so strong it crushed the ash into diamond. With an almost detached fascination, she picked up the tiny stone, and stood, holding it up for the other two Mandalorians to see, "See... I can turn a man to stone." she said, her voice icy and ominous, "Anyone else care to volunteer?" she asked, smiling cruelly.  
  
The two surviving Mandalorian warriors looked at each other, and then tried to make a run for it. Revan drew her two lightsabers, and sliced them both in half before they could go more than two steps.  
  
Still cold and detached, she deactivated the lightsabers again, and looked around the room. It reeked of death. Malak took a few steps back, out of Revan's way, as she walked slowly over to Genie's body. She fell to her knees next to Genie, and started sobbing over the dead child.  
  
Revan cried herself to sleep, hugging Genie's corpse. Malak felt guilty at the fleeting thought that he was lucky no one else was there to see that he cried, too.  
  
x x x  
  
Deralia was successfully recaptured, albeit without any help from Revan or Malak. Revan refused point-blank to leave her room, for the next few days... during which Malak took the initiative, and suggested they head to Manaan to regroup and stock up on kolto. That was what he told the Admiral, anyway... he was sure the prospect of searching for this unknown weapon to vanquish the Mandalorian threat could get Revan to remember she was alive... there was a line between grief and depression, and Revan crossed it the second her sister was murdered.  
  
Meanwhile, en route to Manaan, Malak entered the holding cells on the Defiant. The son of a rancor that had tortured him was still there... their interrogators had made a few attempts at extracting information from him, but he had refused to cooperate.  
  
"Hello, rancor." Malak said coldly, as he entered the holding cell, "Lovely morning, isn't it?"  
  
"It's evening." Rangar growled.  
  
"No it isn't. It's 0800 hours, Galactic Standard." Malak noted.  
  
"Late sunset, Katzof homeworld time." the prisoner retorted.  
  
"Well you're on our territory." Malak said bluntly, "And I came here to talk about much more important things than the time of day... though how you can keep track of time in this place, I don't want to know."  
  
Rangar grinned viciously, "When I get out of here, Malak..."  
  
"It will be in pieces." Malak finished for him.  
  
"I didn't think Jedi tortured their prisoners?" Rangar asked.  
  
"Exceptions can be made." Malak growled, "I'm sure you know that. Unfortunately, the Republic doesn't make torture cells... so we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way..." he smirked, "I met your brother, Tarek, by the way. And your parents must have really hated you to give you both names like that... did all the children call you rancor and terentatek, when you were at evil-git school?"  
  
Rangar's eyes narrowed, but he chose to ignore the insult, in favour of what he deemed more important, "Where is he?"  
  
"Revan took a serious dislike to him." Malak said, in a too-conversational tone, "He was burned alive... did you know that ashes can be crushed into diamond?" he held up the small stone that was all that remained of Tarek.  
  
"You're lying." Rangar said flatly.  
  
Malak laughed, "If I were lying, would I not come up with a more believable story?"  
  
Rangar blinked, but didn't say anything.  
  
"I'm thinking of making a necklace out of it, for Revan... she'd probably think it fitting. She might even make a habit out of doing this to the Mandalorian generals we meet, if it means she gets expensive jewellery out of it." that was probably not true... but it was scaring and unsettling Rangar, and that was the whole point.  
  
Still, the one thing that caught his attention was, "She?"  
  
"Revan."  
  
"Revan is a woman?!"  
  
Malak gave him a 'yes... duh' look.  
  
"Now I know you're lying." Rangar said blankly.  
  
"Like I said... if I were lying, you'd think I'd come up with something more believable." Malak smirked, "Would you like me to disturb her, and bring her down here? I'm sure she'd be happy to repeat to you what she did to your brother."  
  
Rangar snorted.  
  
"I'll take that as a no." Malak said calmly, "All right, then... how about this?" he held up his hand, and used the Force to pick Rangar off the floor of his cell, levitating him to the ceiling. Malak spun Rangar around until the Mandalorian seemed ready to be sick... then dropped him, using the Force to make the fall much faster than the artificial gravity... and much more painful.  
  
Rangar broke a couple of bones with the fall, and proceeded to actually vomit on the floor.  
  
"That's delightful. You realise you're going to have to lie on that floor." Malak noted brightly. Rangar glared at him viciously, "And you thought you knew how to torture someone. I'm only getting started."  
  
A few hours, many more broken bones, several applications of the Force to heal otherwise mortal injuries (though Malak was careful not to use it to ease his victim's pain), and some creative uses Force lightening, later... Rangar finally broke, and started spilling his secrets.  
  
Malak was a little disappointed that Rangar's will had broken so easily... he had been enjoying this torture session... and there were so many things Force grip could do, but he hadn't even got through with Force lightening yet. Spoil-sport. Well, once Malak got the information he needed, he could continue to torture the prisoner... no... no, dark side, bad. He shook his head "So, rancor... the Ysalamiri... how many of them were there?" he asked calmly.  
  
"There were five." Rangar answered, trying not to gag on his own blood.  
  
Malak scowled, "Two down... who has the other three?"  
  
"Mandalore." Rangar sneered.  
  
Malak nodded slowly, "I'm surprised you didn't give him all five."  
  
"Mandalore only wanted three... my brother and I thought they would give us an edge." Rangar stopped talking to cough up some more blood. It was pathetic, really... to become a Mandalorian general, this man must have been a better fighter and strategist than his peers, and Malak knew from experience that Katzof clan were great, powerful, vicious warriors... for such a powerful man to be reduced to this quivering wreak... it was pitiful to watch. It was also incredibly satisfying, to turn the tables against his tormentor, like this. "We... we never told him about the other two... he has the three he asked for, that is all that matters."  
  
"I thought there was some aspect of your honour-code that demanded some sort of loyalty to Mandalore?" Malak asked, "Oh, don't waste your breath answering that... you've already proven that you consider yourself above the honour-code."  
  
Rangar spat in Malak's direction, but it didn't even reach the forcefield between them. "You Jedi bastard." he growled, "You have no idea what you're talking about."  
  
"Actually... hang around Revan long enough, you'd learn a thing or two about your own mythology and beliefs... she studies that sort of thing with unnatural interest. Don't ask me why." Malak said, smirking.  
  
"Go screw a sarlaac." Rangar growled.  
  
Malak raised an eyebrow, "Now that's a new one... and an interesting mental picture, too." he tilted his head to one side, "Very imaginative... I have to give you credit for that one. But it's not my type... maybe you should try it, instead, rancor."  
  
"Funny. Real funny." Rangar muttered.  
  
"So, tell me... what do you know of Mandalore's plans?" Malak asked, his tone too innocent, as he let sparks of lightening dance between his fingertips. Just thinking of his own torture session brought out the anger and hatred needed to create both the lightening and the damaging form of Force grip... it scared him how easily he did it... but this man deserved it.  
  
Rangar stared at the lightening in Malak's hand, for a few moments, before deciding he didn't really have anything to lose by telling Malak what he wanted to know, "I don't know that much... but... but I'll tell you what I know."  
  
Malak was torn between being pleased at getting his victim to talk... and disappointed at not getting to torture him more. Reluctantly, he lowered his hand, and let go of the anger that had conjured the lightening. "I'm listening."  
  
"Well, assuming you've already run into my brother..." Rangar said, eyeing the diamond on the floor with no small amount of disbelief. "Last I heard, Mandalore expected Revan's next move to be Laynara."  
  
"Knew that already. Keep talking." Malak said coldly.  
  
"He plans to take several more of the smaller planets in that belt. There are a lot of Republic military installations there."  
  
"And no civilians..." Malak muttered.  
  
"Yeah... though that doesn't make a difference." Rangar noted, "After that, Tulak, Midos, Aralan, Malachor, and then Bacheron. That's all I know."  
  
"You've been very useful." Malak said, smirking. Even if Revan didn't help him, Malak had a fair idea, now, which worlds to defend. "I'm going to be kind to you, Rangar..." with a wave of his hand, the forcefield deactivated, "Take your best shot."  
  
Most of Rangar's wounds from the torture had been healed by the Force - that was actually the only reason he was still alive - the pain remained, but he was physically capable of picking himself up to his feet, "You have got to be joking."  
  
"Don't you Mandalorians prefer to die in battle?" Malak asked, "I'm giving you an honourable death... because there is no way in this galaxy that you're going to get off this ship alive."  
  
Rangar drew himself up, as tall as he could. Malak was unarmed, save for the lightsaber that always hung from his belt... but he wasn't trying to draw his weapon. He stood almost at ease, as the prisoner charged at him. Malak took a step to the side, bringing his fist up into Rangar's stomach, using the Manalorian's own momentum as the force for the blow.  
  
Rangar stumbled, winded, and tried to lash out at Malak. Malak evaded the swing, and grabbed Rangar's arm, twisting it behind his back, and slamming him against a nearby wall. Rangar elbowed Malak in the gut, with his free arm, right where he had stabbed him before. Malak winced, but didn't let Rangar go. He wrapped his arm around Rangar's neck, releasing the Mandalorian's arm, and snapped his neck.  
  
Malak felt the life slip away from his victim, and slowly let the body fall to the ground. He kicked the corpse, for good measure, then left the brig... it wouldn't take long for the guards to discover the body, and he really didn't want to be bothered with awkward questions.  
  
Malak passed on the information Rangar had given him to Captain Karath. Together, they came up with a plan for what to do next, and relayed it, via some seriously heavy encryption, to the rest of the fleet. Karath did ask what was wrong with Revan, but Malak was evasive, until the Captain gave up on that line of questioning.  
  
x x x  
  
They were due to drop out of hyperspace at Manaan, in a few hours. Malak decided it was time to try to wake Revan again. His two previous attempts had met with various objects (harmless... a couple of cushions, and a pillow) being hurled at him, along with orders to leave her alone.  
  
He knocked tentatively on the door to Revan's room, but she didn't answer... so he sliced the lock (a skill she taught him when they were teenagers), and slipped into the room, closing the door behind him. "Revan?" he asked warily.  
  
The room was untouched, perfectly neat as usual, except the bed. The bedsheets were twisted in knots, and Malak could sense Revan was buried under them... though she must have been curled up in a foetal position, judging by the shape of the sheets. Malak was more nervous of disturbing an upset Revan than he was of storming a Mandalorian stronghold. But this had to be done.  
  
Malak walked over to the bed, and warily sat on the edge of it, "Revan?" he repeated.  
  
"Go away." Revan's mumbled voice replied from the pile of bedsheets.  
  
"Why do you want me to do that?" Malak asked calmly.  
  
Silence. She didn't want him to leave, but she didn't think he should want to be near her.  
  
"Revan, will you at least look at me? Please?" he persisted.  
  
No response.  
  
Malak sighed, and grabbed the top corner of the bedsheets, pulling them quickly back. She tried to grab the sheet before he pulled it off her, but she wasn't fast enough. It was only then that Malak realised she was totally naked. He wasn't sure when she had undressed and bathed, but she must have bathed recently, because her hair was still damp. Then, her mind informed him that she undressed the first time she woke since she was left in her room alone, and she showered... but she didn't see the point in getting dressed again. She didn't see the point in breathing, either, but she at least planned to 'leave a good-looking corpse'... hence the reason she had showered daily.  
  
"Revan, please, don't think like that, love." he pleaded.  
  
"Everything I love dies." she whispered, wiping futilely at the tear-stains on her face, "My family, my homeworld, my Master..." she looked up at him for the first time - her eyes were an odd shade of green... when he looked closely, he saw they were mostly their natural blue, but the unnatural veins of golden yellow - her dark side shining through - gave them a green hue. "Perhaps I should just wither up and die, before someone else I love gets killed, too."  
  
"No. Revan, I love you." Malak took her hand in his, gently, "I need you."  
  
She looked away from him, frowning.  
  
"Please, don't do this to yourself, Revan." he whispered.  
  
She sighed, and started crying again... sobbing silently, the only sound she made was the occasional sniff. She buried her face in her arms, and tried to hide from Malak. He tentatively placed his hand on her shoulder, and turned her over onto her back. She just stared at him, her eyes pleading for some relief from the mental anguish she was suffering.  
  
He sighed, "I have no idea what to say or do to help you, Revan." he said quietly, "All I know is that you can't beat yourself up for something you had no control over. I know you have to grieve for her... but you can't destroy your own life... you're still alive for a reason."  
  
"And she's dead for a reason?" Revan growled, "You're working on the everything-happens-for-a-reason principle. So why is she dead? Why did the Force want her to die?!"  
  
"The Mandalorians are notoriously Force-blind, at the best of times." Malak said, frowning, "And with the Ysalamiri... fate can only be exacted by the Force, and free-will is a bitch."  
  
Revan stared blankly at him, "So you're saying fate controls everything... but you're still saying there is such a thing as free-will? Wow, your philosophical beliefs are really screwed up, Malak." she sighed, "But I do get what you're trying to say. I'm still needed... I can't just let myself join everything I love that has died."  
  
"Not everything you love has died, Revan." Malak said gently, running his fingers through her hair... she leaned into his touch.  
  
"That's true." she looked at him for a few moments, then sighed, and looked away, "I feel like I'm cursed... like everyone I care about gets killed just because of me. I don't want you to get hurt, Malak."  
  
"I can take care of myself, Revan." he said blithely, "But I don't think I'd particularly want to without you."  
  
She raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't say anything. She just started at a nearby wall, as if it was fascinating.  
  
"Revan, have you actually eaten anything since we left Deralia?" he asked bluntly.  
  
"No."  
  
"That's not good." Malak muttered.  
  
"Why not?" she asked, turning to look at him, with an icy stare that dared him to argue with her. Normally, it would make him back down, but this time it was for her own good.  
  
"Because you need to eat. Believe it or not, it's a function of being human. If you don't eat, you'll die."  
  
"Good."  
  
"No. Not good. I really do not want you to die, Revan."  
  
"Everyone dies eventually... it's just a matter of how and when."  
  
"And why..."Malak added pointedly, "And you should not let yourself die just because you lost someone you barely knew. I can't even begin to understand the grief you are feeling, but if you let it consume you, then that Mandalorian who killed your sister has won! He wanted to break you, and look how spectacularly well he's achieved it!"  
  
Revan looked up at him, glaring viciously. Her eyes flashed completely gold, for a moment... then returned to their greenish colour, "You're right." she whispered... it was probably why she couldn't stay angry at him, even though his words had been designed to metaphorically slap her in the face. It certainly snapped her out of it. She sat up, watching him carefully, "I've been here for three days-"  
  
"Three and a half, actually." Malak corrected.  
  
"That cursed Republic-issue alarm clock woke me up three times, at 0600 hours. That's all I've been going by." Revan noted flatly.  
  
Malak bit his lip so as not to laugh at that. It would not be appropriate. "Well it's 1700 hours, now."  
  
"Right." Revan muttered, "The point I was trying to get to is... where are we? What has been happening while I've been... while I've been wallowing in my own misery?"  
  
"We're about to drop out of hyperspace at Manaan, in about an hour." Malak answered, "I interrogated our Manalorian prisoner, and convinced him to give me a great deal of information... several of Mandalore's plans... and the fact that there's another three of those Force-forsaken creatures, in Mandalore's clutches."  
  
"Great... just great." Revan muttered, "Well, we can work with this... I assume you have informed the Admiral of this information?"  
  
"Yes. The fleet has moved to defend the Laynarian belt, Tulak and Midos - Mandalore's next targets."  
  
Revan nodded, "Good. That's what I would do." she said quietly, "And why are we at Manaan?"  
  
"I told the Admiral it was to regroup and restock on kolto." Malak said, shrugging innocently, 'I thought you might like to look for that map thing.'  
  
"That sounds like a good idea, yes." she smiled weakly, "I like the way your mind works, Malak."  
  
"Thank you." he said, also smiling weakly - he was afraid an outright grin would upset her, considering she wasn't really recovered from her misery yet.  
  
He felt something push him from behind, causing him to land on top of Revan, who smirked. 'Force pull.' she thought, with an innocent look on her face. The golden gleam in her eyes belied any impression of innocence, however.  
  
"Your eyes..."  
  
"What's wrong with them?"  
  
"They're glowing." Malak said quietly.  
  
Revan set about unfastening the Jedi robes he was wearing. It would be easier if she didn't have to unclip the armour plates on his forearms as well, but she made good time, all the same. Malak had no intention of stopping her. "The Sith texts I took from Master Kendra's office said that eyes glowing is a sign of passion in the soul. The eyes are the windows to the soul, you know."  
  
"And you believe the Sith texts?"  
  
"It's a theory." she threw his robe across the room, and began working on removing his trousers, which was more trouble, since he was lying on top of her. "The Jedi equate glowing eyes with the Sith... but the Sith say, and I quote: 'not all whose eyes light up golden are destined for the dark side. It is a sign of passion, true... but it can be a sign of lust, or even love, just as easily as it can be a sign of bloodlust and hatred'."  
  
Malak nodded. This made sense. He was certain that at least some of the gleam in her eyes was due to the things her hands were now doing to his body... even if hatred for the Mandalorians was a factor, could he really blame her after what happened to her?  
  
x x x 


	7. Recuperation

Falling For You  
  
Disclaimer: The Jedi Master, named fleetingly by Derrin... his name and physical attributes (though obviously not his Jedi-Masterness) belongs to JK Rowling... but I've borrowed her toys for my fanfics before, so I don't think she minds... just felt I ought to mention it (and if you know where I got the name from, you should also get what Derrin means about him).  
  
Author's Notes: They say laughter is a great healer... or at least, it dulls the pain... enter Derrin, and let chaos reign! (hey, that rhymed!) Please, tell me if my Manaan maths is screwed up... I did check with three other people, but if you see a mistake, tell me. Also, my knowledge of sword fighting, before I wrote this chapter, was precisely zip... I asked Lord Valentai, on the KotOR discussion boards for help, and I'm eternally grateful for the assistance. Also, introducing everyone's least favourite screw-up: Bandon... what, you thought I forgot about him? Oh, no... I have a whole ESB-type plot bunny, just for him... mwhahahahahahahaa! Ahem shoves the bunny back in its drawer until later in the chapter. Oh, chocolate products go to whoever spots the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference - it's tricky only because Malak words it differently from HHGttG... and much as Derrin would enjoy it, no it's not a Pan-Galactic Gargle-Blaster ::holding a towel, and grinning manically:: enjoy the chapter - it's a light-hearted interlude between all the darkness.  
  
RollingSkull: Thank you, you flatter me. Yeah, you know, Tarek was Revan's first kill... in case you didn't notice. And I'm glad you liked her fall... I was particularly proud of it. Yeah, the Kill Bill thing was particularly blatant, wasn't it? And if you think that was dark/sadistic, you have got to see chapter 11 - now that chapter is sadistic ::insert evil maniacal cackling here:: )  
The Shadow Priestess: Lol, of course, M'Lady... I wouldn't want to displease the woman who's writing THAT fanfic ;) ... and I prefer chocolate sauce :D ether-fanfic: Well, he had damned good reason to enjoy torturing Rangar, didn't he? And yeah, I also find "no, dark side bad" to be pretty amusing, too... which is why I have him say it, when he's trying to deny that part of himself. Well, see... I came up with scenarios that would turn me (or anyone, for that matter) if I were thrown into them, and threw them at Revan and Malak... makes it seem more believable, to me at least (Malak's fall in ch11 was more difficult to do, because he's not as rash and powerful as Revan.  
Darth Arachne: Well, if I didn't go too far, Revan would have been able to handle it, and then she'd not have fallen :p ... hmmm, but Revan wasn't a Sith when she protected Genie... she was proud though, which meant that she couldn't resist the gloat-factor of telling the Mandalorian who she was - kinda stupid, I'll admit, but when I throw these characters into these situations, they react by themselves and I have no control over them... I can adjust the situation I put them in to suit my purposes, but they write themselves (like the time Carth slapped Kira - I so didn't plan that one!). Heh, this fic's not aimed at drawing tears... more like shock/horror/disgust... especially when I get to the point where I go into detail on Malak's jaw-problem ::insert evil maniacal cackling here:: I've no clue what ending I'll choose... it depends how Revan behaves after the mind-wipe, and as I said, I don't control these characters, I'm merely the typist who puts them into words. Yeah, I tried that site - it's where I found out Kira means Dark Lady :p ... yeah, it took a lot of dark energy to turn the ashes into diamond, I assure you... a lot of anger and hate through the Force ;) fun stuff.  
fuzzynerds: Cute penname... thank you :D HK-48: Welcome to my darkest fic yet (if you believe Skull, anyway... and I've not even got to the really dark stuff yet). Although, the other ones weren't intended as parodies, they just happened to have a sense of humour is all. Yes, all the maps, some in more detail than others )  
Rascarin: Well, if you saw my SCHV fic, you'll know that Katzof were the main clan to run before the war was over. Those two are Katzof's shining example, so are we really surprised? Thank you, "evil" is a compliment, to me.  
Brynn: Well, it did have to be drastic to make her fall... I'm glad you liked it. And I'm also very pleased that you can relate to Revan... it means I've made her realistic enough - thanks.  
snackfiend101: Excellent spelling, really brilliant :p ... yes, I know I'm evil, thanks for the compliment. Actually I've not given Malak so many reasons to fall, and he is a lot more determined to resist the dark side because he hasn't been hurt so badly... but it was great fun breaking him (chapter 11.  
Niliav: Yes, you're pretty right about those two... rotten honourless bastards. Lol, yeah... kinda obvious when I'm writing a darkfic, that the heroine's little sister's not going to have a pretty fate, eh? The name of clan Katzof was swiped (and probably misspelled) from Andromeda.  
Trunxluvr82190: Heh, Revan's fall was more gradual, and I couldn't see it as right that her eyes would just snap and change colours... though when I write the glowing-eyes thing, I'm thinking of the Goa'uld in Stargate, for some reason. Malak's actual turning point (though he does slip up a few times, he's still basically good until it) is much more obvious, aesthetically speaking. Your threats don't scare me! I need my hands to type, come up with something more logical to convince me to write :p  
F-15 Eaglestrike: Heh, I'll not be done with KotOR fics for a good while yet - I've several projects in their early stages, just waiting for this one to finish - never fear about that. The game ends after Malak's death... so unless I change my mind drastically and decide to make it a happy ending for Malak and his soulmate (it's possible, but don't bet on it), it'll end with Malak's death, at the latest.  
  
"I hate the world today,  
You're so good to me, I know, but I can't change.  
Tried to tell you, but you look at me like maybe,  
I'm an angel underneath, innocent and sweet.  
Yesterday, I cried.  
You must have been relieved to see the softer side,  
I can understand how you'd be so confused,  
I don't envy you."  
-Meredith Brooks, I'm A Bitch. P.S. Listen to this whole song - I had trouble choosing which part to use, and all of it fits Revan, in one way or another.  
  
x x x  
  
Chapter 7 - Recuperation  
  
Revan declared quite definitively that the Map was on the ocean floor. The rapid rotation of Manaan gave them a twelve hour day (and some pretty phenomenal water currents, in some places, apparently), and Ahto City's flotation rate was set to orbit the ocean in the opposite direction, at half the speed, giving them a 24-hour day... one day above water for every two below. It was interesting, really... but the important thing was that the city did pass directly over where Revan said she could sense the map, at approximately midnight, every night.  
  
While the Captain arranged the kolto supplies to be loaded, Revan disappeared off, giving Malak instructions to; "Just relax, let off some steam. We'll not get a sub tonight, but I'll have it for tomorrow."  
  
It was with the futile intention of relaxing a little, that he found himself in Ahto City's west-quarter cantina. The planet was a nice enough place. The view over the ocean was pretty spectacular, even more so in the moonlight than during the day.  
  
The reason Malak's attempt to relax was so futile was because a couple of minutes after he had sat down in the cantina, Derrin wandered in. The Zabrak Jedi was wearing civilian clothes, instead of his usual Jedi attire... but those horns, and the dark-red-almost-black tattoos on his head made him unmissable... and the brown-and-orange clothes he wore clashed horribly with his tattoos, even to Malak's fashion-blind eyes. At least Derrin's Jedi robes were light tan, which Revan considered an acceptable colour-combination, so it couldn't be too bad.  
  
Malak shook his head, and tried to make himself invisible. Unfortunately, being about 6'6" tall, and still wearing his Jedi robes (because he didn't own any civilian clothing), he was almost as difficult to miss as the Zabrak.  
  
"Hey, Malak!" Derrin walked over and sat himself opposite Malak, without permission.  
  
"Go away." Malak said coldly.  
  
"Why?" Derrin asked blankly, "I thought you could use some company."  
  
"I'd prefer the company of a ravenous Traallian beast, to you." Malak growled.  
  
"I'm hurt."  
  
"You should be."  
  
"Aww, c'mon, Malak." Derrin whined.  
  
"I hate when you whine like that." Malak muttered, "Actually... I hate when you breathe, but I can just about tolerate it... the whining is another matter."  
  
"Hatred leads to the dark side." Derrin announced, in an incredibly irritating impersonation of Master Vrook.  
  
"I hate you." Malak muttered.  
  
Derrin stuck his tongue out at Malak, childishly.  
  
"If you stick that tongue out at me again, Derrin, I will rip it out and impale it on one of your horns."  
  
"That's nice." Derrin muttered, "And why are you so pissy today, anyway?"  
  
"Because you walked in when I was trying to relax."  
  
"I know a good cure for that." Derrin stood up and wandered over to the bar. For a fleeting moment, Malak hoped that Derrin would just leave... but that was merely wishful thinking. The Zabrak returned with a couple of glasses of some alcoholic drink or other. "Try this. You'll like it."  
  
Malak stared at the glass Derrin had set in front of him, while Derrin took a large gulp from his own glass. "What is it?"  
  
"Tarisian ale. Not easy to get when you're off Taris, but it's worth the couple of extra credits. And Ahto's bars even had Mandalorian Firewater - which I must try one of these days - because they're not worth conquering, and Manaan is adamantly neutral in all things. A couple of the Mandalorian warriors even stop here occasionally, because it's neutral ground."  
  
Malak's eyes narrowed, "Mandalorians? Here? Now I'm really in a bad mood."  
  
"Meh... that was a couple years ago, before the war broke out in earnest. Just nobody wants to drink the stuff, so the barman kept it in storage."  
  
"And how do you know this?"  
  
"Because I asked what was the strongest stuff he had in stock." Derrin said grinning, "This is the second-strongest... the Firewater is the strongest, but I thought you'd like the Tarisian ale better."  
  
"Right." Malak scowled at the drink, then picked it up and took a tentative sip. It was sweet and fruity, and it had a hell of a kick to it. He blinked a few times, and set the glass down.  
  
"Strong stuff, huh?" Derrin asked, grinning.  
  
"Hell yes." Malak answered.  
  
Derrin sniggered.  
  
"So tell me about Taris." Malak asked, "Revan and I didn't bother with it, but it can't have been that boring."  
  
"Well, the Undercity was shitty... and I mean that literally. The Upper City was boring as hell. The Lower City, though. Now that was interesting."  
  
"I'm listening."  
  
Malak sipped the Tarisian ale slowly, as Derrin prattled on about the mischief the five Padawans had got up to in the Lower City of Taris. He barely paid attention, really. It was all typical Jedi behaviour, with a hint of Derrin's usual rouge-wannabe style and Tyr's bloodthirstiness thrown in, for good measure. Tyr and Matt got into a couple of cantina fights with street-gangs over some trivial issue... the gangs started it, obviously. Derrin lost all his credits to a card-shark at Pazaak, and Sam went and won them back. Cassie, who had been AWOL until that point, then informed them of some slaving operation run by the Exchange... which they were only too happy to mess with, freeing a bunch of Twi'lek dancing-girls, a Wookiee, a Cathar, and some human slaves as well. Tyr then persuaded them all to go down to the Undercity, where they took one look at the resident monsters, and decided the Lower City was better.  
  
By the time Derrin had finished his long-winded, and likely greatly embellished story, they had both gone through three glasses of Tarisian ale, and two glasses of Mandalorian firewater. And Zabrak tend to have a stronger constitution than humans. Add the fact that Malak tended to avoid alcohol in large quantities, and you have one drunk Jedi Knight, in the company of a bad influence of a Jedi Padawan, who's also had a fair amount to drink.  
  
"Y'know what, Malak. Your hair really looks daft." Derrin announced, with the definitive tone that only one who as consumed a certain amount of alcohol can achieve.  
  
"You would say that." Malak sulked, "Because you don't have hair, do you?" it was kind of amazing that Malak was forming coherent sentences at this point.  
  
"You know what?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I think you should lose the hair."  
  
"It's not a toupee."  
  
"I know that. Ever heard of a razor?"  
  
"Would you like me to use one on your wrists? Or better yet, your throat?"  
  
"Not funny."  
  
That was all he could really remember of that evening.  
  
x x x  
  
The next morning, Revan found him trying not to be awake, in his room at the Republic Embassy in Ahto City. "Where were you last night?"  
  
"I... don't exactly remember." Malak grumbled. He looked up at her, blinking in the light. She wasn't wearing her cloak, at the moment, so her face was visible... even if he wasn't exactly focusing clearly, right now.  
  
Revan sat next to him, sniffed the air disdainfully, and then scowled at him, "You've been drinking."  
  
"How'd you know?"  
  
"I remember the smell from the one time we went to that Lower Level bar on Coruscant. I thought you swore you'd never touch the stuff again, after the hangover?"  
  
"Yeah... I did." Malak groaned, and sat up. The light hurt his eyes, and his head was throbbing.  
  
"Here." Revan handed him a glass of water... though where it came from, he had no idea - he could have sworn her hands were empty, a moment ago.  
  
He took the water, gratefully, and drained the glass within moments. The headache remained, but his thoughts were beginning to clear a bit.  
  
'Should have just thrown the water in your face... would have worked just as well.'  
  
Malak shot her a half-hearted glare for that thought.  
  
"Now tell me what the hell you did while you were drunk." she said sternly.  
  
"What do you mean?" Malak asked.  
  
"Have you seen a mirror?" she asked innocently.  
  
"No... why?"  
  
She suddenly fell into hysterical giggles.  
  
"What is so funny?!" Malak demanded.  
  
"Your hair!" she gasped, trying in vain to regain her composure.  
  
"What's wrong with my hair?!"  
  
"More like where did you put your hair." she said, between giggles.  
  
Malak blinked, "I think... I think I'm going to kill Derrin." he muttered.  
  
"Derrin put you up to this?" Revan laughed, "Doesn't surprise me. I mean... those are Zabrak markings."  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"The tattoos."  
  
Malak just stared at her, "You're fucking kidding me!"  
  
"If there was any fucking going on here, Malak, you'd know about it. And I'm not kidding."  
  
He continued to stare at her, "I am seriously going to kill Derrin." he said flatly.  
  
"I'd advise against that." Revan said flatly, "Besides..." she placed her hand on the top of his head - he almost winced, because of the pain - but the second her hand touched him, he felt the headache ease. "A touch of the Force to heal you, and they won't even hurt. They actually look kind of cool."  
  
Malak rolled his eyes, "You're joking, right?"  
  
"No. I'm perfectly serious." the pain was totally gone, now. She moved her hand down the side of his face, and tilted his chin up so she could examine him critically, "They look pretty good, actually. Nice colour. Kind of suits you. I like it."  
  
"You're making fun of me."  
  
"I assure you, I am not." she was serious. She didn't lie, at the best of times... and the tone in her voice was completely honest.  
  
Malak was kind of stunned. He shook his head, and muttered, "I have to see the damage."  
  
"I said it's not that bad... but there's a mirror in the fresher." Revan said, grinning.  
  
Malak immediately jumped out of bed, not even caring what he was wearing (which happened to be his normal - if slightly dishevelled - Jedi robes), and bolted into the fresher. Revan's semi-evil laughter rang through the room behind him. He stared at his reflection for a few minutes.  
  
He hadn't exactly been that fond of his hair, but its sudden and unexpected absence was not appreciated. And the tattoos on his head... a dusty blue colour, almost grey. They didn't look anything like Derrin's tattoos, which he knew were Zabrak designs as well... but if that was what Revan said they were, he believed her. The wide lines of blue ran back from his eyebrows, narrowing, and disappearing down the back of his skull, where he couldn't see them. Another band of colour from the corner of each eye, growing from a fine point, and again disappearing where he couldn't see it.  
  
Revan appeared behind him, in the mirror. "Exactly how far down your back do they go?"  
  
"I don't know. I have no recollection of these tattoos being applied." he said distantly.  
  
She raised one delicate eyebrow, and walked over to him, stopping to his left, and resting her head on his upper arm, still looking in the mirror, "I'd guess fairly far." she said, smirking, "Because it looks like Derrin has at least adhered to basic Zabrak aura tattoos."  
  
"Do elaborate." Malak asked. If he had these mutilations, he may as well know their meaning, before deciding whether or not to fork out the ridiculous amount of credits it would cost to have them removed.  
  
"I'll start with Derrin, because he is just plain weird." Revan said brightly, "The curling lines, and elaborate design indicates duplicitous nature, and as you can tell, he's bordering on insanity. He's not actually insane, but..." she shrugged. Malak sniggered. "I'm serious. Some of Derrin's tattoos imply he is what some sentients would call insane... and you've known the boy longer than I have... tell me exactly how sane he is."  
  
"Not very."  
  
"Exactly." Revan said brightly, "And that is why - I know you've been wondering since you saw them - your markings are so different from his. You're practically his opposite. This shade of blue indicates clarity, and focus. The lines from the eyes indicates an ability to see what most cannot. The smooth, fairly straight, bold design implies strength, determination, and forwardness. Suits you, I think. And in theory, to depict exactly how single-minded and obstinate you can be..." She took a step back, and wrapped her arms around his waist, unfastening the belt of his Jedi robes. She removed his robes, leaving him topless, and smirked. "I had expected Derrin to cheat on this, but at least he's honest."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Men... competitive about length... but he didn't cheat, so..." she laughed.  
  
Malak glared half-heartedly at her, in the mirror. He had to fight not to laugh as well... and worse, he had to fight not to show any signs of embarrassment at her utterly (and deliberately) tactless statement.  
  
Her hand moved up to the top of his head, and she touched the point where the tattoos disappeared from his view. She slowly trailed her fingers down the back of his head, bringing them together, until one single finger touched the nape of his neck... then she ran it right down his spine, to the waistband of his trousers, "I do need to see if they go farther, Malak." she said, a picture of seriousness, except for her eyes, which glittered.  
  
Malak suddenly blushed, which made Revan laugh evilly.  
  
"I'm kidding." she pressed one fingernail into his back, a fraction above the waist, "They stop there."  
  
"Good." he said, scowling at her impish grin in the mirror.  
  
"I was just looking for an excuse to rid you of your trousers." she noted brightly.  
  
"You don't need an excuse, angel." he responded, smirking.  
  
x x x  
  
That evening, they took a mercenary sub Revan had rented down to the ocean floor. It was kind of a non-event. They found the map, and Revan used the Force to open it without ever needing to touch it. She recorded the information, and they returned to the surface. Simple as that.  
  
When they got back to the Defiant, Malak hunted down Derrin in the mess hall. "You sneaky manipulative evil little Hutt-spawn!" he snarled at the unfortunate Zabrak.  
  
Derrin feigned innocence, "Hi, Malak. I like your new haircut." he said brightly.  
  
Malak glared viciously at Derrin, taking a few slow and ominous steps into the room.  
  
"Nice weather we're having, ain't it?" Derrin asked blithely.  
  
"We're in space... it's a vacuum... duh." one of the senior soldiers who happened to be in the room muttered.  
  
Malak continued his ominous stalking across the room. The soldiers had the good sense to back off from him. Derrin was another matter, however.  
  
"Look, Malak... it was just some harmless fun. Besides, Revan told me, after, that it looks good."  
  
"You are dead." Malak hissed.  
  
Derrin didn't buy it. "Oh yeah?" he challenged.  
  
Malak was now close enough that he lunged at Derrin, pinning him to the floor, and punching him in the jaw.  
  
Derrin laughed, and turned his head so Malak's second punch landed square on one of the Zabrak's horns. Malak yelped, and punched Derrin in the stomach.  
  
"Mph... what happened to Jedi pacifism, Malak?" Derrin taunted.  
  
"You joined the Order." Malak answered coldly, "I'd bet if you'd stayed behind during the war, you'd have driven each and every one of the Masters to take a swing at you, before long. Unfortunately for you, I have more muscle-mass than most of the Masters."  
  
"What about Master Rubeus?"  
  
"I did say most. Besides, he's a softy - it's Vrook you would have had to fear."  
  
"Fear leads to anger-" Derrin quoted, in a feeble impersonation of Master Vandar's voice, "-anger leads to hate, hate leads to-"  
  
"Someone shoving a lightsaber down your throat." Malak finished too cheerfully.  
  
"Now, Malak, be reasonable." Derrin stammered, fearfully.  
  
"I am being perfectly reasonable." Malak answered, "I even had a logical plan for this encounter - punch you, check - threaten you, check - illicit a heartfelt apology under threat of being dropped into the ocean from this height... well, what do you say, Derrin?"  
  
A few of the soldiers, who had previously been terrified of Malak's display of bad temper, now relaxed, the tension shattered. A couple of them even laughed.  
  
Derrin also laughed, though it was obviously forced, "Of course, Malak. I'm sorry." he gave Malak a genuinely sincere kath-pup-eyes look of apology. "I'll never do it again."  
  
"You won't need to, horn-face." Malak said, amusement with a hint of irony in his tone, "I'm keeping the tattoos."  
  
"Coooool." Derrin replied, as Malak stood and offered the obnoxious Padawan a hand to help him up. Derrin accepted the offered hand, and was soon on his feet, "Of course, I'll need to think up a new nickname for you... and a certain Ewok's name really would not suit."  
  
"What did I tell you about mentioning that subject in public?"  
  
"You've made that threat often enough, now, that its impact has worn off."  
  
"All right, then... what other body-part, besides your tongue, could I rip off and impale on your horns, then?" Malak asked, all too congenially. A couple of male soldiers did the maths, and winced.  
  
"A kidney? I've got three of them." Derrin answered innocently.  
  
Malak shook his head, and let go of the Padawan's hand, making a show of wiping his hand on his robe, before wandering towards the door. Derrin took the hint, and didn't follow him.  
  
x x x  
  
The hyperspace trip back to the front would take a few days, and they had nothing much to do, when they weren't in conference with the Admiral, via holocomm.  
  
Revan found Malak in the weapons training room, early into the trip, "Hello, Revan." Malak said, not taking his attention off the practice droid he was sparring with. It was on its maximum difficulty setting, and he had to go easy on it, so as not to wreak it.  
  
"Teach me to fight the way you do." she said flatly.  
  
Malak dodged a blow from the droid, and with a wave of his hand he used the Force to flip the switch to deactivate it. He then deactivated his lightsaber, and turned to face her, "What do you mean?"  
  
"We both know you are the superior swordsman in this room." Revan said calmly, "I wish to learn."  
  
"Why?" Malak asked, taking a step towards her, "I thought you preferred to direct the battle, not to fight personally?"  
  
"That is true." she said calmly. "But the Mandalorians seem to see me as the Republic's leader. They consider the greatest warriors the only ones worthy of notice. And only a truly great warrior and tactician worthy of being given the power the Republic fleet has given me, so quickly. I do not consider myself the Republic's leader - I answer to the Admiral - but in the eyes of the Mandalorians, I am considered the Republic's greatest warrior."  
  
"They've seen me fight. They've only seen you command in battles." Malak protested, his pride wounded, "What makes them think-"  
  
"Because to gain a command rank, Mandalorians must first prove themselves to be great fighters." she answered.  
  
"Why does this make you want to learn to fight better?"  
  
"Because that illusion of skill wouldn't hold on the battlefield." she said calmly, "I know I am competent with a lightsaber, but I want you to teach me to be unstoppable, with both lightsabers and vibroswords."  
  
"Why, exactly? You don't have any plans to fight personally, do you?"  
  
"Yes. I do."  
  
"Who? Why?"  
  
"I've done my research. I can force the Mandaorians to back down. If their enemy's greatest warrior - by which I mean greatest in their eyes - challenges Mandalore to a duel-"  
  
"No!" Malak said firmly. "No way!"  
  
"Why not?!" Revan protested.  
  
"I don't want you to get hurt."  
  
"Then teach me to fight, so I can protect myself. I will challenge Mandalore, at our next encounter with the enemy."  
  
Malak's eyes widened, and he shook his head, "That's too soon! It takes years to become an expert duellist! I don't even claim to be one!"  
  
"Just teach me what you can. Start with vibroswords." Revan said determinedly.  
  
Malak sighed, "Fine... take off that stupid cloak, though."  
  
"I'm going to fight Mandalore wearing my cloak... so I shall learn to fight wearing it." she said flatly. 'End of argument.'  
  
Malak rolled his eyes, and walked over to the wall, to take out two blunted training swords, the same weight as a vibrosword. "If you will insist on wearing that cloak." he said, carrying the two swords over to Revan, "At least push it back over your shoulders, out of your way." She did as he asked. He handed one sword to Revan, and tested the other sword's balance by taking a few experimental swings at thin air with it, and twirling it in his right hand.  
  
Revan watched exactly what he did, and attempted to impersonate it. She dropped the sword when she tried to twirl it, though.  
  
"You're not used to the heavier blade." Malak informed her, "It does take a bit of practice to be able to do that." he twirled his sword again, just to show off.  
  
She scowled, and picked up her sword again, examining it with a suspicious eye, as if she thought it was deliberately being uncooperative. After a minute, evaluating the weapon through the Force, to analyse the composition of the metal itself, she tried a second time, and almost succeeded... but it slipped at the last second, and hit the floor again.  
  
"That's an advanced trick, and all it does is look cool." Malak said bluntly, as if dismissing it, "If you hit someone by doing that, even with a sharpened sword, all you would achieve would be to knock it out of your hand."  
  
"Much less efficient than a lightsaber." Revan murmured, picking up the sword yet again. This was totally new to her - the only weapon the young woman had ever handled before was her own lightsaber. This was not going to be an easy task.  
  
"I could fight him for you." Malak offered.  
  
She shook her head, "This is personal, Malak. I want to kill him myself." Malak sensed the Force wrap around the weapon in her hand, allowing her to twirl it much more flamboyantly than he had.  
  
"That trick won't do you much good if he has Ysalamiri on his ship, Revan." Malak warned.  
  
She looked at him, blinked a few times, surprised... then scowled, 'Damn.'  
  
"Now we should start with the basics." Malak said pointedly.  
  
Revan rolled her eyes sulkily, and nodded, holding the sword in the accepted stance for lightsaber duelling.  
  
Malak sniggered, "No. Like this." his sword was held defensively, rather than offensively, his legs slightly father apart, his left arm held out behind him, for balance, rather than using the Force to balance him. "For a start, you cannot afford to use the Force in this fight you are training for."  
  
Revan scowled, and imitated the way he stood and held his sword. Malak nodded, smiling. She always could assimilate knowledge and details quite spectacularly, and this was no exception - her imitation was perfect. He could tell that she had even blocked off her Force senses.  
  
"You do need to remember the basic rules of lightsaber combat." Malak told her, taking a slow step to his left. Revan stepped to her left, and they very slowly circled each other.  
  
"What Master Quatra taught us in our combat classes." Revan said, nodding, "She wouldn't even let me pick up a training sword until I'd memorised it." Master Quatra was the Weaponsmaster of the Jedi Temple, who trained all of the Guardian Padawans, and many of the other young Jedi, in the art of lightsaber fighting. The practice drills - and the lectures on how to put aside doubt and fear when fighting, never lashing out with anger - would make this easier. The fact Revan knew how to use a lightsaber was both a blessing and a curse - many of the lightsaber's disciplines were similar to those of a vibrosword, but there were enough differences for Revan to trip over.  
  
"With good reason." Malak said flatly. 'Same applies to regular swordfights... control is the key.'  
  
Revan nodded. Malak moved, making his intended line of attack more than obvious. Revan moved her sword to block him easily.  
  
"Don't treat me like a child who's never fought before, Malak." she said coldly, breaking the lock between their swords, and spinning to try to strike his waist - the weapon's weight threw her off balance, and she missed him by a long shot, barely avoiding falling flat on her face.  
  
Malak smirked, "You've never fought with a solid weapon before." he said flatly, watching her with some degree of amusement. This was the first time he had seen her physically stumble. Ever. She was too graceful to do such a thing, normally. "There are certain things you can do with a lightsaber, that you cannot do with a sword. Like, oh, say... deflecting blaster bolts."  
  
Revan pulled a face, as she assumed her defensive stance again, "I knew that one already, Malak." she complained, in a slightly whining tone.  
  
Malak chuckled, "Don't try anything too fancy. Just focus on defence, for now. All right?"  
  
"Fine." she muttered sulkily.  
  
Again, Malak made sure Revan could keep up with him, as he took several swings in her direction - even if she hadn't blocked them, he would at worst have grazed her arms - and their swords made a blunt ringing sound with each swing, as she blocked him easily.  
  
So she could defend herself against a mentally challenged Gammorean. Time to up the pace a bit. His next few swings were faster, smoother, and Revan exerted more effort in making sure her sword was in his way. But she still kept up with him.  
  
'Getting the feel for the weapon, now, angel?'  
  
'It takes some getting used to. I could name something else I'd rather have in my hand...' she thought, smirking. The obscene mental picture she projected with it threw him off-guard, and she tried to take a swing at him. It was relatively clumsy, compared to her finesse with a lightsaber, and he managed to block it before she could make contact.  
  
"That was a cheap shot." he said out loud. She smiled, feigning innocence. "And there's no point pulling a trick like that on me. I'm only trying to help you. And besides... that wouldn't work on Mandalore for a number of reasons."  
  
Revan sniggered slightly, "True."  
  
"Your grip is too loose." Malak informed her bluntly, "You're used to a weightless blade. That thing could fly out of your hand if you swing it hard enough, the way you're holding it."  
  
Revan tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword, reassuming the defensive stance. "Funny." Revan muttered, "After all the times Master Quatra told me I was gripping my lightsaber too tightly..."  
  
"A lightsaber is a totally different weapon." Malak said flatly, "Besides, too tight a grip can cause problems when fighting with a vibrosword, as well."  
  
Revan rolled her eyes, "Figures." she muttered.  
  
Malak took several more swings at her, slowly increasing his speed. He noticed Revan's guard was too high - she left her stomach exposed - he could easily have told her this, but... instead, he re-directed his sword, mid-swing, to aim for her waist. She saw it coming, but couldn't block it with her sword, and instead she dodged, landing unceremoniously on the floor, hitting her right elbow sharply on the unforgiving metal surface.  
  
"Defence is the most important part of duelling." Malak said calmly, transferring his sword to his left hand, and offering her a hand to help her stand up. She took his hand with her left hand, and stood, still holding her sword in her main hand. It was a defensive gesture in itself that she didn't let go of her weapon even when he had done so.  
  
They were both tired, from the exertion. "Perhaps we should continue the lessons tomorrow?" Malak suggested.  
  
Reluctantly, Revan agreed.  
  
x x x  
  
The Defiant made a pit stop for a supply ship to dock with them, mere hyperspace hours from the front lines of the war. Revan and Malak were personally requested to meet with the supply ship's captain. This in itself was unusual, but Revan didn't argue with Captain Karath's suggestion - she may unofficially outrank him, but he was a good leader, and she had nothing better to do.  
  
So it was that they were in the docking bay, watching the supply ship unload its cargo. Malak was being bored. Revan was watching the ship with shrewd interest. 'Can you sense that?' she asked him, in his mind.  
  
'Sense what?'  
  
'Strength in the Force on that ship.'  
  
Malak focused - he couldn't sense the number of lives on the ship, but the ripples in the Force caused by the presence of one of more Jedi, he could definitely detect... at least, when he knew what he was looking for. 'Yes... several Jedi...'  
  
Revan nodded, and approached the ship as a young man stepped off it. He wore Jedi robes in dark green almost black, and he was bald, with a neatly trimmed beard. He bowed respectfully to Revan, "Jedi Revan. My name is Bandon Lamar. News of your exploits during the wars has inspired many of the Knights and Padawans of the Order to join your cause. We came from the enclave on Dantooine, as quickly as we could. Others, from Coruscant, are on their way, as we speak."  
  
Lamar... that name was familiar. Malak knew he should recognise it. 'I know where you remember that from.' Revan's voice practically sang in his mind.  
  
'Enlighten me.'  
  
'Patience, Malak.' Revan nodded to Bandon, "We appreciate all the help we can get." she said, "Tell me, though... your name sounds familiar."  
  
Bandon immediately cringed, but quickly regained his composure, "Yes. I don't doubt it." the way he said it gave the false impression that he thought he was special enough to be well known... but something in the way he had cringed belied that illusion of self-importance.  
  
"Where have I heard the name before?" Revan asked in false innocence.  
  
Bandon seemed to be staring fixedly at a random point in thin air to Revan's right... deliberately avoiding the question.  
  
'Vrook Lamar... that's where we heard it before.' Revan thought.  
  
Malak's eyebrows shot up, for a moment... then he walked over to them, "You're related to Master Vrook?" he asked.  
  
Bandon winced again, "Yes." he said through gritted teeth, "I'm his son."  
  
"You seem to resent this fact." Revan said, her tone emotionless. Normally, Malak would hear concern in her voice, if she sensed that someone felt hurt in this way.  
  
"I haven't seen him since I was five. I don't even remember what he looks like. So why does it matter?" Bandon snapped.  
  
Revan shrugged, "Very well. No matter. Follow me." she turned to lead the group of Jedi out of the room, 'Malak, tell the Admiral we will be joining the fleet around Tulak.'  
  
Malak nodded - she didn't see him, but she knew he had acknowledged her - and he turned to do as she asked.  
  
x x x  
  
Weeks passed, and the new Jedi were quickly distributed throughout the Republic fleet, with warnings to avoid Mandalore's flagship, and why. They proved themselves useful, time and again.  
  
Revan's lessons progressed at a practically inhuman pace, over this time. She was obstinate, as usual, however. She refused to adhere to the traditional fighting styles Malak taught her. Instead, she adapted them to suit her better.  
  
Malak had been relatively smug after her first lesson - vibroswords and lightsabers were the one area in which he truly outshone Revan - but her abilities were catching up with his incredibly fast. It shouldn't be humanly possible to pick up that sort of skill so quickly. It had taken Malak thirteen years to become as skilled as he was with these weapons, and now Revan was learning the same disciplines in mere weeks.  
  
The woman was phenomenal. She was already proficient enough with the vibroswords to give him a run for his money in a practice duel, and it had only been three weeks since they started training. He had convinced her to put off her duel with Mandalore until she was - as she asked to be - unstoppable with a vibroblade. At this rate, it wouldn't take her much longer... when Revan set her mind to something, she really was unstoppable.  
  
x x x


	8. Vengeance

Falling For You

Author's Notes: This song felt appropriate... it brings to mind the little sister, if you're a Buffy fan... and very dark, which suits Revan's attitude to the Mandalore duel. Very fleeting cameo from our favourite pilot, here. And, after that, we have a brief meeting with a certain other familiar character, to lighten the mood a bit. Mini-chocolate products for anyone who can name the "Phoenix" (from the Mandalorian mythology Revan mentioned in chapter 5 - he is in this chapter... and someone out there already got this one, and is in for some easy chocolate :p ). Real chocolate for anyone who spots the Riddick references here - there's two of them.  
Ozziegrl: Thanks. I came up with the Bandon plot-gizka because I was trying to think of a really good reason for Vrook to be so bitter towards Revan... and corrupting his offspring to the DS seemed a better reason than being his student before going DS :p snackfiend101: Still beautiful spelling (the word you were looking for is "screwed"). Yes, I am shameless. Well, since the whole aim of that chapter was to make people laugh... it looks like I've done my job pretty well, doesn't it? Sure, you can use the Bandon-as-Vrook's-son idea... it's not like I'd be able to sue you for it, even if I wanted to.  
ether-fanfic: Thank you ::bows:: ... and his downfall won't disappoint you... very evil, it is.  
Darth Arachne: Derrin only lived through that incident because Revan said she liked the tattoos... but yeah, there's still some LS left in Malak. Hell, no, I would never stoop that low, Harry Potter is not welcome in Star Wars, the crossovers would be hell! On the other hand SG Atlantis is just ASKING for the crossovers to begin ::mutters about "Ancients" that looks like humans, that comes from another galaxy and have some cool ESP-type abilities:: ... sorry, random plot-gizka, someone please use it! Yeah, Vrook doing that thing that's kinda essential to make a kid... scary mental pictures (though I could happily conjure worse, if you wanted me to... in fact, I probably will, later in this fic :good: ). Well, if I go past Malak's discovery that Revan isn't dead, then it'll be mindwipeville... otherwise, assume this girl is Kira :p Rascarin: Thanks.  
F-15 Eaglestrike: Ulic Qel-Droma defeated Mandalore and forced him to pledge allegiance to Ulic, he didn't kill him (I actually have the Sith Wars book - only SW comic I own - so I'm sure I'm right about this). Besides, when one Mandalore dies (and the one who pledged himself to Ulic did die later in that book, on the Dxun moon), another takes his mask and his title as the next Mandalore. My fics-in-progress (note, I may or may not successfully complete any of these): one's about Dustil at the Sith Academy, one's a parody-fic like so many people seem to be writing these days, one's about Mission's childhood on Taris, one's an AU based on this fic, a couple of others are just plain sick even compared to this fic, and one's just me being mean to Carth.  
Dark Lord Daishi: No more turning-Mandalorians-to-stone, I'm afraid... it was only in her rage at the moment of grief that she was able to summon the immense raw power needed to do it. Korriban, chapter 9, and yes there will be much evillness there (I contemplated having Jorak appear in a fuzzy pink bathrobe, but that was too evil even for me.  
Trunxluvr82190: Heh, I thought they looked alike... don't tell me I'm the only one who noticed the resemblance (and I don't just mean that they're both bald :p ). Not quite three weeks... more like about thirteen weeks :p still frelling spectacular, and more than a little ridiculous... but this is Revan we're talking about, and the mortal laws of logic do not apply to her.  
RollingSkull: Um, yeah... Derrin's supposed to be a nut-case :p lol. What's silly about that idea? I demand you tell me! Yes... "insanely" is probably the right word to describe it, you're right about that one.  
HK-48: Thank you. Yeah, well Bastila's not what I'd call immune to Jumping To Conclusions (Bastila: I didn't jump! I just took a tiny step and there conclusions were!) ::glares at Bastila:: quoting Buffy is MY job, Jedi. Ahem, as I was saying, I did it on purpose, because a: I don't 100 trust Bastila's judgement, and b: to go against popular theories.  
Firera: Thank you. Yeah, that's right - he never did find out the pilot's name. And, again, thanks ::bows:  
Prisoner 24601: Thanks. Lol, glad you liked it. So far, I hadn't planned anything really for my Bandon-bunny, beyond the fact it was a good reason for Vrook to be pissed at Revan... but you never know, I may think of something. What exactly is clichéd about Bandon, anyway?

"I touch the fire and it freezes me,  
I look into it and it's black,  
Why can't I feel?  
My skin should crack and peel,  
I want the fire back.  
Now through the smoke she calls to me,  
To make my way across the flame,  
To save the day,  
Or maybe melt away,  
I guess it's all the same.  
So I will walk through the fire,  
'Cause where else can I turn? I will walk through the fire,  
And let it"  
-Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Once More With Feeling, Walk Through The Fire.

x x x

Chapter 8 - Vengeance

More time passed, and the Mandalorian fleet made a desperate lunge for the Malachor system - the only Republic system within their range that wasn't too heavily guarded. Mandalore himself headed the fleet. His flagship wreaked havoc with the Jedi on the Republic vessels. The Mandalorian fleet took the initiative, and began to push the Republic back.

'It's too early, Revan.' Malak warned, as they watched the battle from the bridge of the Defiant, 'We should concede Malachor... it's not an inhabited world, anyway.'

'No, Malak. I'm not giving up any more ground to him.' Revan replied. Even her mind sounded colder, now.

He frowned at her, but didn't argue with her, 'It's your choice... just be careful... don't get yourself killed.'

"Hail Mandalore's flagship." Revan said aloud.

Captain Karath did a double-take, before asking, "What? Why?!"

"Just do it!" Revan snapped.

The Captain nodded, and gave a gesture to the comms officer, saying to do as Revan ordered. A holoimage of a man wearing the armour of a Mandalorian leader, and the distinctive mask of Mandalore himself, appeared on the comm system, "What do you want, Republic vermin?" he demanded, his voice coarse and harsh.

Revan stepped into view of the holotransmitter. Even though she held herself in a posture of defiance and authority, her head tilted back, her hood still concealed her face. "I am Revan. I believe you have heard of me?"

"Oh, yes. I have heard of you, Revan." Mandalore answered, suddenly showing an interest in this situation, "What do you want?"

"A duel." Revan said calmly, "Just you and me, to the death. Vibroblades, no armour." she smirked, "What do you say?"

"What are your conditions?"

"If you win, the Jedi surrender to you. If I win, your warriors surrender to me." she declared, "Do we have a deal?"

"I think so, yes." Mandalore said, amusement in his tone, "Board my ship, fight your way to me, and we will duel. You may bring as many warriors with you as you wish to get you to me, but you face me alone."

Revan nodded, "I will see you soon, Mandalore." the communication cut at that point, and Revan turned to face the rest of the bridge.

Captain Karath spluttered, "You just offered the Jedi surrender if he won!"

Revan smirked, "Technically, all those of us who joined you in this war disobeyed the rule of the Jedi Council. If you follow that logic, we are no longer Jedi."

"In other words." Malak added, "We won't surrender." 'Hell, if you get killed, Revan, I will fall to the dark side... then I'll definitely not be a Jedi.'

'Don't think that sort of thing. You'd be amazed how often idle thoughts become prophetic.' Revan retorted in his mind. "We board his ship, now." she turned and swept off towards the docking bays.

x x x

They took small fighter ships, and a strike team of Jedi and soldiers. There hadn't been that many Jedi on the shuttle from Coruscant - they seemed to fear the Jedi Council's disapproval - but Bandon had rounded up quite a few from Dantooine, more than two dozen, which made a significant difference. The fact the young man was a Padawan, and had convinced Knights to join him, was saying something for his persuasive skills - Revan and Malak had only managed to convince a small group to disobey the Council, but that had been before news of Revan's success in the war had reached the other Jedi. More Jedi had also joined them, from other enclaves - Bandon and his friends were far from unique in their decision to follow Revan into the fray.

Now, the small squad of Jedi and soldiers flew for Mandalore's flagship.

"Ready for this, Bandon?" Revan asked over their commlink.

"Never felt it before, how can I be ready for it?" Bandon retorted.

"Just don't fear it. It could be worse." Malak noted.

As he said it, they flew close enough to the bow of the ship to feel the debilitating effects of the Ysalamiri on Mandalore's ship. All three of them, by all reports. Malak shivered, but his hands remained steady on the controls. Bandon's ship wavered, but not significantly - evidence the Padawan had also shuddered from the sudden loss.

Then the Basilisks flew out. "Time to party, children." Revan whispered... she was speaking to the Mandalorians, Malak realised, even if they couldn't hear her. Her ship accelerated, zooming past the line of the Basilisk droids - dangerously fast, considering they couldn't sense the Force - and she discharged her engine's waste in their faces, swooping round again to shoot them down while they were stunned.

"Neat trick!" Bandon cheered.

"Don't try it - they won't fall for the same stunt twice." Revan replied, her voice the picture of calm.

The half-dozen Jedi, and half-dozen soldiers, were still desperately outnumbered. That is, until another two capital ships - the Chronus and the Quantum Star - dropped out of hyperspace dangerously close. "Did we miss the party?" Cassie's voice asked from the Chronus.

"That's the last time I let Matt fly." Sam added from the other ship.

"Just take out the snakes!" Malak snapped.

"With pleasure. I'm already on guns." Tyr called from Sam's ship.

"Ditto." Derrin, on Cassie's ship.

The rain of blaster fire took out most of the Basilisks, but a small number circled to the far side of Mandalore's ship, guarding the docking bay.

"Defiant, give us some more Force-blind fighters." Revan ordered.

They waited for the new gold squad to fly out around them. Malak recognised the gold-leader's voice on the comm, "You asked for help, Jedi Revan?"

"Yes. Shoot down the snakes around Mandalore's docking bay." Malak answered for her. If this pilot survived this fight, he really would have to learn the man's name.

"You heard the Jedi, boys." the gold-leader said to his men, "Let's get 'em!" and off they flew. Revan followed, and the other Jedi stayed close behind her. Malak did notice gold-leader's fighter waver ever-so-slightly, as it approached Mandalore's ship... it could have been his imagination, but it looked a lot like the way Bandon's fighter had done when he felt the Force leave... but that was ridiculous - Malak hadn't sensed the Force in this pilot the last time they met.

Gold squad was still the elite, in spite of most of their number being replaced at least twice throughout the war, and they made short work of the Basilisks. "We'll take it from here." Revan said flatly, "Thanks for the help."

"Anytime." gold-leader replied, "Good luck." and they returned, rapidly, to the Defiant.

The Jedi landed in Mandalore's docking bay.

The first door they came to was sealed. Malak set about trying to slice it.

"This is taking too long." Revan muttered. She drew her crimson lightsaber, which earned her a few disapproving glances from some of the Jedi, who saw the colour as a sign of the dark side. Malak had never even considered that before, mostly because the first time he saw her wield a red blade he had been too grateful to see her, to care either way.

She ran the blade through the door - it was thin enough that she cut a smaller doorway through it within less than a minute. She then stepped through the door, and Malak followed just in time to spot several Mandalorian warriors bearing down on them.

"Here's where we see how you fight without the Force." Malak told the other Jedi.

He didn't bother with his lightsaber - it had only hindered him the last two times he fought under the influence of a Ysalamiri. Instead, he drew two small curved daggers, one from each boot, and lunged at the nearest Mandalorian. He never fought with two swords, but these blades were short enough for him to handle them well enough. He could kill men with his bare hands, and these daggers just gave his punches that bit more bite.

Malak stabbed the enemy in the neck, and turning in time to block the vibrosword of a warrior who thought he could hit Malak while his back was turned. Malak then stabbed him in the gut below the breastplate of his armour. He pulled the still-alive Mandalorian, dragging him by the dagger still lodged in his gut, into the path of another vibroblade, which finished him off. Malak then took the second to pull both blades out of his victims, and them spun to kick another Mandalorian in the side of the head.

Revan was also holding off the enemies successfully, using her lightsabers surprisingly well considering she was unable to touch the Force.

Bandon, wasn't doing so well. He was the only Padawan in this group, and had no idea how to fight without the Force. One of the Mandalorians had disarmed him, and was about to finish him off, when one of Malak's daggers suddenly found itself in the offending Mandalorian's throat. "I thought you were supposed to be a Guardian, kid?" Malak asked the younger man.

Bandon scowled, "Those demonic little pets of Mandalore's are affecting my fighting skills." he said, picking himself up. The rest of the swarm of Mandalorians had been dispatched.

"He isn't going to make this easy for you, is he, Revan?" Malak asked flatly.

"That much is obvious. Let's go." Revan led the group through the corridors, in the general direction of the bow of the ship.

"Someone should try to find and take out those Ysalamiri." Bandon noted.

"True." Revan said, nodding, "Take two soldiers, and get on it, kid." she ordered.

Bandon blinked, surprised Revan was giving him that much responsibility, then he barked, "Darien, Claire, you're with me." and he ducked into a side corridor. The two soldiers whose names he had called followed him.

Malak scowled, "He just took the two stealth-ops." he informed Revan.

"All the better." she said blithely, "I hadn't planned on being stealthy, anyway. This way, Bandon stands a better chance of actually taking out the Ysalamiri."

x x x

The four soldiers that stayed with Revan and Malak's group were picked off one by one, by wave after wave of Mandalorian warriors that they had to face down to get to the throne room. When they did get there, the five Jedi were faced with five Mandalorian generals, and Mandalore himself.

"Jedi Revan..." Mandalore said, amused, "So nice of you to make it." The five generals attacked Malak and the other three Jedi, to keep them busy, as Mandalore approached Revan. Malak took on two of them, as the other three Knights fought one each. Without the Force, they didn't stand much chance against the generals - they were much more powerful than the average Mandalorian grunts.

Revan drew a Mandalorian vibrosword she had taken from the base on Siraun, when they had captured Rangar. "This war ends here." she said coldly. The dark smirk she wore - even if he couldn't see it, he could feel - sent a chill down Malak's spine.

"Ready to die, Jedi?" Mandalore jeered. He drew his own sword - a shining silver blade, with a jet-black hilt. It was a beautiful weapon.

Then Malak felt it... the Force returned to him, 'Remind me to thank that kid.' Revan's thoughts sang in his mind, grateful for their restored connection.

'It's still not fair to fight Mandalore with the Force... but it's your choice... you're not bound by his honour code.' Malak replied, before drawing his lightsaber and making short work of the two generals that had almost pinned him before the Force had returned to him.

"I don't fear death. And I don't regret to inform you that it's not my time yet." Revan said aloud, in answer to Mandalore's taunt. She flourished her blade, using the Force to allow her to perform that show-off-trick - one she still couldn't do without the Force.

Mandalore beckoned her to make the first move, and she lunged at him. He wore his ceremonial mask, but simple trousers and shirt instead of the armour they had seen him wearing on the holocomm. He blocked her first blow, and the fight began. To call it intense would be an understatement... Malak worried on several occasions that Revan wasn't ready for it. More than once, he spotted weaknesses in her defence, but Mandalore clearly didn't see them, which was a great relief to Malak.

Out of the corner of his eye, Malak saw one of the other Jedi Knights killed by one of the generals. The other two Jedi had finished off their opponents, and backed the last general into a corner, though, so Malak wasn't too worried about killing the surviving Mandalorian general. He was more concerned with Revan. If Mandalore hurt her, he would kill the masked fiend himself.

But she seemed to be holding her own very well, considering. As he watched the fight, Malak actually wondered if he would have been able to fight this man, had he tried. The student surpasses her master, he thought to himself... careful not to project it for Revan to hear. Revan was now a better sword-fighter than Malak, and after so little time training. It just wasn't fair!

"Need a second, Revan?" Malak asked, jokingly. A 'second' was a duelling term for one who would take over if you were incapacitated in a fight. He knew perfectly well that she didn't need it.

"No. I don't." she answered, not losing her concentration.

More time passed, and neither Revan nor Mandalore managed to touch the other with their swords. It was an elegant and deadly dance, and the first to tire would be the first to fall. Mandalorians are notoriously tireless... but so are Jedi. This could take a while.

Then, Malak sensed malicious intent, and looked up to see a Mandalorian warrior - low-ranking, judging by the armour - in the doorway. He wore Katzof clan insignia... one of few of their clan left in the fight. Most of Katzof clan had fled the war after the battle for Deralia. The Mandalorian hurled a grenade at Malak, who threw up Force shields just in time to protect himself.

It turned out to be a plasma grenade... this became obvious, as flames started licking the banners hanging near Malak's feet. "Can't believe he thought I was weak enough to be killed by a measly plasma grenade." Malak muttered, throwing his lightsaber at the offending Katzof, slicing the Mandalorian neatly in two, from waist to shoulder.

The surviving general hissed an insult that translated as 'Bastard moron!' at the now-dead Katzof... it seemed clear he had no love for Katzof clan. Malak could almost like that general, just for that reason alone. Almost. But that thought was quickly rejected, when the general in question took down a second Jedi. Malak leapt across the room, using the Force, and with a single swing of his lightsaber, the Mandalorian general was grievously wounded, and unable to fight... but still alive.

A yell of pain from the duel drew his attention. Malak turned to see Mandalore, with a blade through his heart, fall to his knees before Revan. It seemed to take almost a minute for his life to slip away... and he eventually collapsed to the floor, dead.

Revan slowly knelt next to Mandalore's body, and picked up his sword... much more elegant than the one she had fought with... and also not bloodstained, as hers now was. She sheathed his sword on her belt, instead of retrieving her own sword. Then she carefully unbuckled Mandalore's war-belt, and took that, too... and finally, his mask. Interestingly enough, she covered his face with a piece of half-burnt cloth, before taking off his mask, so no one could see his face... a show of respect to Mandalorian honour and culture... something Malak had not expected at all.

The general Malak had wounded tried to stand. Malak wasn't sure of his intentions... whether he intended to bow to Revan, or fight her... it was irrelevant. Malak knocked him unconscious, regardless.

The war was over. Revan had won.

x x x

The surviving Mandalorian warriors conceded defeat, when they saw Revan wearing Mandalore's mask. They bowed to her. "You keep what you kill." the surviving general had informed her calmly, as he was held in the brig on the Defiant.

Revan nodded, "And I can do whatever I want with what I now have." she said. Malak could sense the cruel smirk she wore, even though he couldn't see it.

She brought the surviving Mandalorians, in chains, to the viewing deck of the Defiant (there were few enough of them left, after the battle of Malachor, that they could all fit into this one room). They were over the gas giant of Malachor VII... the remaining Mandalorian warbirds circled the planet, loaded full with all their worldly possessions, Basilisk droids, and anything that could not be seized for the benefit of the Republic.

The warbirds were unmanned. Ghost ships. And Revan gave the order to fire on them, sending them spiralling into the gas giant... burning up in the atmosphere. Many of the Mandalorians expressed their horror at this. Absolute defeat was one thing... but they had expected to be allowed to serve under the banner of the warrior who had slain their leader. Instead, they found everything they had fought for, everything they had owned, destroyed.

Only one of them didn't seem to flinch... the only surviving general of Mandalore's fleet. An older man, with a face that could well have been carved out of granite, for all the emotion it showed. Malak heard him whisper in Mandalorian... "/If there's nothing at stake - your possessions, your life, your world - then the battle's meaningless./" It sounded as if he was trying to convince himself of this. "/Win or lose, as long as the fight is worthy, then honour is gained. And we lost.../" he looked up from the view of their burning warbirds, and saw Malak watching him. He smirked darkly, "/This time./"

Malak raised an eyebrow. Beaten, but not broken. Interesting. It seemed these warriors were much stronger willed than the Republic had given them credit for.

When the show was over, the Defiant flew to the nearest mercenary outpost - which, unfortunately for the Mandalorians, was Nar Shaddaa. They ditched the Mandalorians, with direct orders from Revan to, "/Stay the fuck away from the Core Worlds... and only enter Outer Rim Republic territory if you actually intend to obey the Republic's laws./"

They weren't about to argue with her, after she had slain their leader. You keep what you kill... she was now their leader, even if she didn't want to waste her effort on them. And the fact she said it in their own language seemed to illicit yet more respect from them (and confuse the Republic soldiers standing next to her).

After that, Revan called a private conference with Malak, Admiral Zordoc, and Captain Karath, the two Republic officers she seemed to actually trust (Admiral Var had never really gained that honour, before he died).

"I have a proposition for you, Admiral." she said calmly. She now wore Mandalore's mask, as the trophy it was... and it seemed to unsettle the Republic officers, no end.

"What sort of proposition?" the Admiral asked, confused.

"Malak and I discovered an ancient artefact, during our brief stop on Tatooine." she explained calmly, "A map, which claims to lead to a source of great power. If we could follow the map, and find this... source... we could be able to use it to keep enemies like the Mandalorians at bay, in future. Even the threat of such power would scare off most potential enemies."

"If we have bigger guns than them, they're not going to be stupid enough to try to invade us." Malak added flatly, "And if they are that stupid, then we can blast them out of the sky fairly easily."

"That prospect has its merits." the Admiral said, smiling faintly, "Where might we find this 'power source'?"

"We're not certain, yet." Revan said bluntly, "We know there are more of these maps on Kashyyyk and Korriban... we believe that all the maps together will guide us to this power source."

"We don't even know the thing's name." Karath said bluntly, "How do you know these other maps will be any better than the one on Tatooine?"

"We don't." Revan answered honestly, "But with the war over, what have we to lose?"

x x x

Most of the fleet returned to the Core Worlds. Revan only took about a third of the Republic's ships for their search. She claimed they were hunting down remnant Mandalorians - Katzof made excellent scapegoats - because she didn't want to get people's hopes up of some magical weapon that may not exist anymore. Most of their fighters returned with the main fleet, for the celebrations. It was safe enough to do so, now that the war was over.

Their next stop was Kashyyyk.

Most of the fleet stayed outside the system. Revan didn't want the Tradoshans thinking they were being invaded, or anything stupid like that. So Revan and Malak took a small shuttle from the Defiant, to Kashyyyk.

They circled the planet for some time. Eventually, Revan - who was manually controlling the ship the whole time - brought the ship into a synchronised orbit. "It's directly below us." Revan said definitively.

Malak closed his eyes and tried to reach out through the Force to find the map, himself. It took a few minutes for him to sink deep enough into a meditative state to detect the waves of power and darkness at this distance... but she was right. They were directly above the map. He opened his eyes, "How do we get down there? There's no such thing as a clearing in the forest, on this planet."

"I'm detecting cauterised wounds on some of the trees to the northwest." Revan informed him, "It looks like a much larger vessel crashed down in that direction." she frowned, "Years ago... the wroshyr trees have grown back quite effectively, but a small shuttle like ours may still fit through."

"Sounds fun." Malak said sarcastically.

He felt the ship lurch as Revan angled it down for the gap in the trees. Not only was this like threading a needle... but she had to do it at ridiculous speed, just for fun. And she did enjoy the ride, even if Malak's knuckles were turning white from gripping his seat so tightly. The woman was crazy.

x x x

As the ship's engines whined down, deactivating, on the forest floor, Revan smiled innocently at Malak.

"Are you trying to get us killed, Revan? That was bloody dangerous!" Malak said, through gritted teeth.

"It was fun, though." she noted brightly.

Malak shook his head, "You are incorrigible." he muttered, "Next time, I fly."

Revan gave Malak a look that made her appear so innocent and adorable that he literally could not argue with her, "But I like flying."

He rolled his eyes, "Whatever you want, Revan." he said, with total honesty.

Revan stood up, and pulled up the hood of her cloak... she gave a cursory glance to the mask that sat on a console nearby, but decided not to wear it. No point wearing a mask in the lower levels of this world. The ground of Kashyyyk was only inhabited by non-sentient wild beasts, and visited occasionally by Wookiee hunting parties... Czerka slavers steered clear of the lower levels. Wookiees tended to avoid outsiders whenever possible, so they shouldn't be a problem.

Malak followed her off the ship, instinctively checking his lightsaber was still where it belonged, on his belt.

The forest was in total darkness, aside from the light shining out from inside their ship. As soon as the door hissed shut, and Revan sealed it, there was no way to see anything at all with his eyes. So Malak reached out with the Force to see around him. He could sense Revan doing the same. Trees rising as far as he could sense, in all directions, above their heads. It was phenomenal, really.

"Not natural at all." Revan whispered. She was analysing the trees' Force-composition, rather than simply sensing their presence as Malak was.

Malak glanced into her mind, to see what she saw wrong with them... too uniform... grown too fast. 'It's not impossible, though... just because it's unusual, doesn't make it false.'

'True...' she scanned around her, and then pointed to the east. "This way." she started walking, and Malak followed her.

Constantly tapping into the Force like this, to see where they were going, was exhausting for Malak. He wasn't used to prolonged use of the Force, and it was showing. Eventually, he stopped, dropping all his Force senses, and sat down on a nearby low root.

Revan stopped, and then Malak heard her light footsteps on the dirt ground, until he felt her hand touch his shoulder, and she knelt next to him, "Is something wrong, Malak?"

"I'm not used to using Force sight for long periods of time. I've never been somewhere quite this dark, before."

"The problem, Malak, is that we cannot bring glowrods out into the forest. Light may repel many of Kashyyyk's lower level beasts, but it attracts the more dangerous of them." Revan responded logically, "Like waving a red rag to a kath-bull... shining a light at a katarn will enrage it. Not to mention the photosensitive kshyy vines... show them light, and they'll strangle you to get a hold of it."

Malak shivered at that thought, "I suppose we're better off without it... but I need time to rest, before I can use the Force to see, again."

Revan shook her head, "See through my eyes." she said flatly.

He looked up at her, confused... he couldn't see her, but he knew her expression without needing to see it... knew it through their bond. She was perfectly serious, "I don't understand."

"You have reached into my mind, through our Force bond, before. So, just use that to see through my eyes. It will likely be a bit disconcerting, at first, but it will allow you to see where you are going."

Malak closed his eyes, and tried to reach out to Revan's mind. She smiled faintly, and guided his thoughts, until he was able to sense through her Force sight. It wasn't any more tiring for her to do this, than for her simply to see without him... and it didn't put any strain on his Force abilities, either.

The seriously creepy thing was she was looking straight at him, and he could actually see his own Force aura... something even the deepest meditative trances had never allowed him to see before. To say he saw colours would be a bit of an exaggeration... he had never sensed auras in this way before... it was partly tactile, partly visual, but mostly extrasensory. Impossible to put into words, beyond the fact he instinctively knew its meaning... he now knew what she saw every time she looked at him. A shining, light, good heart... surrounded by darkness, but not penetrated by the darkness he wore like a protective cloak. He had never bothered to analyse himself so deeply, before... it was interesting.

He tried to ask her what she saw in herself, this way... but she shut him out of that part of her mind, with such force that he may as well have just run face-first into a durasteel wall. It startled him so much he lost his connection to her Force sight, and fell back into total darkness again. 'Don't ask what you don't want to see, love.' Revan's mind whispered to him, sounding pained to even think it.

Warily, Malak re-established the Force sight connection. Revan took his hand, and started to lead him through the forest, in the direction of the Star Map. Malak could now sense it, as well... the waves of its darkness seemed to affect Revan, even at this distance. Drawing her to it like a moth to a flame.

But suddenly, she stopped, turning her Force sight to the south. They both sensed a sentient presence, there... strong in the Force. "Who's there?" Revan demanded, aloud.

A slight rustle, in the trees... but no other response was forthcoming. Revan ignited her crimson lightsaber, holding it in a defensive stance... its dim glow lit up their surroundings enough to actually see the figure, which ducked behind a nearby tree. It looked human... or at the very least, humanoid. Certainly not a Wookiee.

The presence masked itself, and melted into the forest. "Looks like we're not alone, down here." Revan said, deactivating her lightsaber. "We should make haste. I don't want to hang around to see how much trouble that person can make for us."

x x x

An hour of uneventful walking passed. There was very faint light filtering through from the upper branches, now... and since Malak's eyes had adjusted to total darkness by now, he could see almost perfectly clearly, in this new lighting. It must be morning on this part of Kashyyyk, now.

Suddenly, Revan stopped dead. "No." she said aloud. "And if you thought that, why are you following us?"

Malak tried to listen through Revan's mind, since she could obviously hear something he couldn't. He barely detected the thought, 'I don't believe you.'

"I don't lie." Revan answered flatly.

'Yuhuh... I know what you are, I can read auras too, kid.'

Revan's eyes narrowed, "I am not a kid!" she snarled.

Mental sniggering, from whoever it was that watched them, 'Compared to me... I've been adventuring across the galaxy since before you were born, kid. So you're a kid.'

"Just leave us be, and we'll leave you be. Fair?" Revan asked.

'Now why would I do that, Sith?' the presence masked itself, and Revan glared in the direction she had sensed it from.

'Why did it call you a Sith?' Malak asked in her mind. He couldn't sense the gender of the unidentified person, so in spite of the derogatory meaning of the gender-neutral word, it was better than accidentally choosing the wrong gender.

'It's delusional.' Revan's short reply sounded unconvinced... but Malak didn't dwell on it.

They walked a little further, before Revan stopped again, looked left, then right... then turned right, and led them into a deeper, darker path. It was almost icy, here, in the denser area of forest... and the faint light filtering down was much dimmer here, too. Malak could still see where they were going, though.

Suddenly, a howl from the north-east caught their attention. Revan focused through the Force, "The Force-adept is still to the south-west... the source of that howl feels..." she looked up in the direction it came from, her eyes wide, "Dark... and Force-resistant, I can't probe it."

"What sort of creature can do that?" Malak asked her.

"I can only think of one..." she frowned, 'The mythical Terentatek.'

"You have got to be kidding!" Malak said... the thought of that type of beast scared him more than the Ysalamiri, "Maybe this isn't such a good idea." he took a few steps backwards, away from the source of the howl.

Revan shook her head, "I'm not going to just leave, after coming all this way. I'm sure if we're careful, we can avoid it."

Malak scowled, but nodded, "Whatever you say, Revan." he said, his voice apprehensive, though he drew himself up straight, determined not to let his fear control him.

They continued on... after a short while, however, another howl emanated from the opposite direction. A slightly different pitch, but it sounded similar enough to be of the same species.

"Oh Force, no." Malak muttered.

Revan reached out with her Force senses again, "That sneaky conniving creep." she muttered, "The Force-adept made that sound." an ominous pounding, that sounded like the feet of a giant beast, could be heard from the north-east. "/Buggeration./" Revan hissed, in Mandalorian. She grabbed Malak's hand, and took off at inhuman speed, dragging him behind her, heading south-east towards the power of the map, and away from both the Force-adept and the beast.

They must have lost both, because by the time the map became visible, there was nothing to be sensed around them but wroshyr, kshyy, and various other forms of plant life. It was as if the fauna of this world avoided the map diligently.

But what they found near the map was not what they had expected. Some form of machine or other stood towering a couple of stories high, beside the map. Revan approached the map, trying to ignore the machine, and touched the tall spire that had activated the Tatooine map.

Nothing happened. Revan scowled, and tried again, running her fingers down the black metal, lightly... almost sensually. Nothing continued to happen.

"It's broken." she said bluntly.

"Any broken machine can be repaired by someone who knows what they're doing." Malak replied, watching her hand, as she pulled it away from the map sharply, as if burned.

"Yes, you're right." she glanced at him, her eyes glittering darkly, "It's just a matter of learning how to fix it."

"Perhaps that has something to do with it?" Malak nodded to the giant machine. It looked like a computer bank.

Revan looked up at it for the first time, as if she had been so entranced by the map that this giant monstrosity had gone unnoticed to her. She slowly approached it, and started examining it carefully. "Yes." she whispered, "Take a seat, Malak... this will take a while."

x x x

Malak kept watch for Revan... while he did sense that Force-adept, lurking not too far away, no other threats presented themselves, and the wait became tedious. Eventually, he got bored enough that he left her to her tinkering, and wandered back out in the direction of the Force-adept he sensed. Perhaps he could apprehend this threat, and figure out exactly how delusional, or dangerous, it was.

He couldn't sense life in the same way Revan could, so he was much more wary of any potential threats. Without Revan's Force sight to help him know his environment so well, he had to be much more alert to his other senses. He could detect that Force-adept, however. And it didn't seem to be trying to avoid him.

In fact, when he was a fair way away from Revan and the map, he heard a rustling in the trees nearby, and a human man stepped out. He had dark skin, very little hair, and a lightsaber on his belt... and he looked at least as old as Master Vrook. The old man eyed Malak, in the evaluating way of a wild animal deciding if it was looking at a threat or not. After a moment, he spoke, "You got a name, kid?"

Malak scowled at him, "Why were you following us?"

"I asked first." the old man said bluntly.

"My name is none of your business."

"That's an interesting name."

Malak glared at him. "Why were you following us?" he repeated.

"I was curious."

"Why did you call that beast?"

"A test. Your friend passed."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Malak demanded.

"Means I was wrong. Doesn't mean I'm going to hang around to make friends."

"Then why are you talking to me?"

"Because while I made an assumption about your friend, I didn't know what to make of you. You're kind of like me, really... you do things your own way." he smirked slightly, "Besides, I've not seen another human in a good few years."

"What are you doing on this planet?" Malak asked.

The old man shrugged, "Does it matter? Not sure I remember exactly why I came here."

"You are strange."

"Just tell your Sithy friend to stay away from that machine. It's not good for anything, I can tell you that much."

"Revan is not a Sith!" Malak snapped.

"Revan. Ok, now I know one of your names." the old man said smugly.

"And if you're half as senile as you're trying to make me think, you'll forget it in five minutes." Malak hissed.

The old man chuckled, "Heh, you have a point there. So how about you tell me your name, kid?"

"My name is Malak."

"Good, good. Well, I should be off... got some gardening to do... the place is a bit overgrown." the man turned and wandered off into the forest.

Malak wasn't fooled by the senile act for a moment... no senile old coot could survive in a dangerous place like this for long. A mad hermit, maybe... a senile one, not a chance. Malak considered that the old man would be much more trouble than he was worth, if they stayed down here much longer. Especially if he didn't want Revan to get her hands on the map.

Malak turned and walked quickly back to the machine Revan was working on. When he got there, he saw her sitting, cross-legged, in front of a hologram, talking to it in some alien language or other. He watched the conversation for some time, before the hologram faded, and Revan stood.

She walked over to the map, and touched it again. This time, it opened, and showed her the coordinates. She scowled, "It only shows Korriban and Tatooine. It has one more piece of data for the final coordinates, but no new planets."

"Guess we have to go to Korriban, next, then." Malak said flatly, "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"One way to find out."

x x x 


	9. Darkness

Falling For You

Author's Notes: Greetings, this fair Samhain night, may the fates bless you on this sacred holiday. I upload this early, because I shall not have computer access on All Hallow's Eve, though that is when this message is intended to be read. Now, on to the chapter... Korriban. I have a deleted scene from early on in this chapter, based on the Charmed episode: Sin Francisco, but it didn't fit in right... if anyone wants to read it anyway, my AIM name is on my author page. The song is here because I made some Rocky Horror references in this chapter (well, that and I like it anyway)... there's a Sweet Transvestite quote hidden here, along with a much more blatant reference from slightly later in that show. Chocolate awards, this week, to whomever can name the third Sith Sister (this one's trickier than the popular-culture ones, since it's more Revan's area of expertise... mythology).

The Shadow Priestess: Sorry I didn't answer your ch7 review. Lol, and I'm entirely un-sorry for the mental image ::insert evil maniacal cackling here:: ... very bad joke, Whisper.  
Cantankerous: Also sorry about missing your ch7 review. This is the ch9 I was talking about - it's not incredibly dark, it's just obscene/twisted... the really dark chapter is ch11. Lol, glad to see I caught you off-guard about the Bandon Lamar thing.  
Dark Lord Daishi: Thanks ::bows:: ... here's Korriban.  
Ozziegrl: Thanks ::grins:: glad you liked it.  
RollingSkull: Thankies. You're right, he's not... but everyone has some connection to the Force... normal people rate 0.001, he's just 0.0015, or so :P (assuming 2 is very low-level Jedi Apprentices). She's been Sithy since Genie died, she's just hiding it for now. Heh, I was wondering who'd comment on that thing with the Star Map - that was just Malak's dirty mind (or mine, if you'd prefer :good: .  
Firera: Yes... I explained it to Skull in the line above this one, and don't feel like repeating myself so soon. Lol, Candyman is appropriate, since I promised chocolate for anyone who named him ::gives you chocolate:: ... as for Jolee; like he said, it was a test and Revan passed - had she truly been a Sith, she would have left Malak to fend for himself, in the face of such a legendary threat.  
Darth Arachne: Glad you liked it. Um... Mandalore... scum... how so? I mean, I was trying to portray only Katzof clan in such bad light. Yes, on to Korriban, let's do the Timewarp again ::insert hysterical/evil maniacal laughter here:  
Thylja: Hey, welcome! Good to see you're enjoying it. I have incorporated a lot of my favourites here (Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, South Park, Buffy/Angel, Harry Potter, etc) Kill Bill is just the most utterly blatant so far (though this chapter's Rocky Horror references are pretty blatant, too.  
F-15 Eaglestrike: Well, it was a frelling nightmare getting those comics from Amazon - I ordered three, and they could only manage to send me one... was worth it, though. Yes, that's Candyman ::gives you chocolate:: ... and as for Jolee, see what I told Skull about Revan's Sithyness. The gold-team leader is Carth... and all the gold-squad fighters returned to the Defiant, while Revan stormed the Mandys' docking bay. Well, Bandon can fight... when he's able to use the Force (and when he's not up against power-gamer PCs :good: first time I fought him, he was a challenge, so he's not utterly hopeless). Yes, the Ysalamiri were guarded... that's why Bandon took the stealth-ops, so they could sneak past the guards.  
Brynn: You'd think she'd do something smart like that, wouldn't you? But Bioware set the basics for me to work with, and they say she didn't. Glad you liked the cameos.  
Trunxluvr82190: ::gives you small bag of chocolate:: you got those all right... no one got the big prize though.  
ether-fanfic: Glad you liked it. Here's more darkness from both of them, now.

"I've done a lot, god knows I've tried,  
To find the truth, I've even lied,  
But all I know, is down inside I'm bleeding.  
And super heroes come to feast,  
To taste the flesh not yet deceased,  
And all I know is still the beast is feeding.  
And crawling on the planet's face,  
Some insects called the human race,  
Lost in time, and lost in space,  
And meaning."  
-Rocky Horror Picture Show, Super Heroes.

x x x

Chapter 9 - Darkness

The return journey through the forest was uneventful. The flight to Korriban passed quickly, and soon the Defiant was in orbit over the dark world. Even the Force-blind soldiers on the ship could feel the power in this place.

Revan took Malak, Bandon, Derrin, Cassie, Matt and Tyr, with her to the surface of the world. Their shuttle docked in the Czerka-run city of Dreshdae. Cassie, Derrin, Matt and Tyr wore civilian clothing, which blended them well into the smugglers and spacers of Dreshdae, but Revan, Malak and Bandon's Jedi robes stood out like a sore thumb. Bandon and Malak, at least, wore dark enough colours to be passed over by an idle observer as regular dark-coloured clothes, but Revan's crimson robe, mask and cloak could not be so easily dismissed. She was attracting a lot of curious stares.

The Czerka shops there held little of interest, and it didn't take long for Derrin to drag them to the cantina, which was irreverently named 'The Drunk Side'.

"Careful in here, Malak." Revan said, her sing-song voice taunting, "The odds of getting drunk and waking up with new tattoos are much greater on Korriban than on Manaan."

"That's not funny, Revan." Malak noted coldly. Derrin sniggered, and tried to look innocent at the same time... which really didn't work. Malak smacked Derrin in the back of the head (where there weren't any horns) for his sniggering.

"And they're even likely to stoop to the level of spiking your drink with hypnostim." Revan added nonchalantly.

"Good thing I've no intention of ordering a drink, then." Malak said, even more coldly. The thought of what Revan had so casually said gave him chills, and made him nauseous.

This place felt creepy... it had an element of dark power to it, even though the bar they were now in was so seedy. The people sitting around were either drinking, gambling, plotting some unseemly dealings... or some combination of the three.

Revan found them a table near the back of the cantina, which would seat all seven of them, and sat with her back to the wall, so she could see the whole cantina. Malak sat next to her, watching her carefully. He was suddenly acutely aware of the way she carried herself, like she thought she was better than everyone else here. It shouldn't have bothered him, but for some reason, it made his blood boil.

"Hey, those are our seats." a male voice said. Malak looked up, to see three thugs looming over them. They all looked pretty rough, but they certainly didn't intimidate the group of Jedi.

"They're our seats now, boys." Cassie said cheerfully.

"Oh yeah, girlie?" one of the thugs tried to grab Cassie, but Tyr caught his hand, and with a slight flick of his wrist, he broke the thug's arm. The thug yelled in pain.

"You might want to put some ice on that." Tyr said bluntly. Another of the thugs made a move to try to grab Cassie, too, but Tyr blocked him and said, "What hospital are you going to? I'll visit you and your buddy, and sign your casts." his tone enough of a threat that the thug backed off.

"You think you're a tough guy, huh?" the third thug asked, cracking his knuckles.

Tyr just looked unimpressed, "Fuck off."

The thug took a swing at him. Tyr grabbed the thug's arm before his fist could make contact, and twisted it around, behind the thug's back. He pulled the arm very sharply, "I said fuck off, you fool. Now, either do as I say, or I'll rip off your arm, and demonstrate the first half of my order on you, with the bloody end!"

Cassie blinked, "That, I'd like to see."

"Let him go, Tyr." Revan said calmly, "He is really not worth the effort."

Tyr shrugged, the act of which twisted the thug's arm a bit more, then he let the thug go, with a kick to the back of the knee for good measure. The three thugs glared at the seven Jedi, before cutting their losses, and backing off.

Derrin watched the door the thugs had left through, for two seconds, before deciding to stand up and wander over to the bar.

"If someone spikes your drink, don't say you weren't warned." Revan noted to him. Derrin shrugged and dismissed Revan's concerns blithely.

"So what is the plan, Revan?" Cassie asked, glancing around the room agitatedly.

Malak felt an irrational surge of resentment... everyone automatically thought Revan had a plan... everyone looked to Revan for leadership. Just once, Malak would like to be able to be in charge. Just once. He shook his head, frowning... why did he just think that?

All eyes were on Revan, now... albeit with varying degrees of interest. Tyr seemed preoccupied with tinkering with one of his daggers. Matt looked edgy, Cassie even edgier, and Bandon just plain bored.

"The map is somewhere to the east of Dreshdae." Revan answered, "The problem is, it's inside one of those large structures all the smugglers are avoiding."

"What are they, anyway?" Bandon asked blankly.

"Tombs." Cassie answered, "They just have that feel about them."

Revan nodded, "Exactly."

"This is going to be fun." Malak noted sarcastically.

"Well, we won't get anything done with a negative attitude like that." Revan said too chirpily. Malak just glared at her.

She stood up and left the cantina. The other Jedi seemed to miss this detail, though. Cassie was staring dreamily at some random smuggler... not even what most would call particularly handsome, though Malak was certainly no judge of what constituted an attractive male. Tyr was still fidgeting with his bladed weaponry, and Derrin was ignoring all in favour of alcohol.

Malak stood, and snapped, "Stop drooling." at Cassie. He then turned on Tyr, "Do you want me to advise you on where to stick that dagger?"

"You're snappish today." Tyr said coldly, putting the blade away.

Malak stalked over to Derrin, plucked the glass out of the Zabrak's hand, and poured its alcoholic contents over Derrin's head. Derrin spluttered, and called Malak several obscene names.

When Malak stalked out of the cantina after Revan, the others followed him.

x x x

Revan gave Tyr and Matt instructions to guard the ship, then she announced, "Bald guys without horns, you're with me." Bandon and Malak exchanged a glance which said clearly that neither of them were too happy with her description of them, "Derrin and Cassie... just... just stay on the ship and don't do anything. At all." she shook her head and muttered, "Korriban is obviously bad for your health."

Derrin sulked, and emptied the bottle of some alcoholic drink or other he had in his hand, before stepping onto the ship. Cassie was also sulking, but at least she wasn't indulging her darker instincts yet.

Revan led the two men down towards the ancient buildings to the east.

"I'm not sure who I pity more." Malak noted conversationally, as they walked, "Derrin or Cassie."

"Derrin." Bandon said flatly, "Cassie can be scary."

"You just don't like strong women." Revan said flatly.

"So?" Bandon asked blankly.

Malak sniggered. Bandon actually hadn't figured out yet that Revan was female. "You don't know Derrin that well. You see these tattoos?"

"Yeah..." Bandon said warily.

"Derrin's fault."

Bandon blinked a couple of times, "I don't even want to know."

x x x

When they got to the ancient building, Revan examined the entrance, "We have to go through here." Revan said flatly, "The cartography readout said there was no other way into the valley."

"This is great. Force knows what booby-traps and monsters we'll stumble across in there." Bandon muttered sulkily.

"Want me to go back and get cannon fodder? Um, I mean Tyr?" Malak asked innocently.

Revan looked at Malak carefully, "I think we'll be fine without him. Or any of the others, for that matter. Bandon is just as good as any of them."

"Am I supposed to be take that as a compliment or an insult?" Bandon asked blankly.

"Neither." Revan said blithely, waving him off.

"How do we get in?" Malak asked.

"Break the door down." Bandon suggested.

"Far too crude. There must be a lock." Malak retorted.

Revan reached up, and knocked the door sharply, three times. It made an unnaturally loud, echoing sound. A grinding sound followed, and the door opened slowly. The two men stared at Revan, stunned.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"That's just not right." Bandon muttered.

"It's Korriban. What did you expect?" Malak asked.

"Open invitation..." Revan mumbled, "Proceed with extreme caution."

"You don't need to remind me." Malak muttered coldly. The last open invitation he'd had into potentially hostile territory had certainly not gone well.

Revan warily took a step into the building, extending her Force senses through the structure. Malak tried to do the same, but all he could detect with his own Force senses was power and darkness. 'There are about a dozen sentients in this building.' Revan informed him, through their bond. Malak's hand went for his lightsaber, just in case. 'Don't be so paranoid... at least we can sense them.'

'Not as reassuring as you'd think... they're strong in the Force, aren't they?'

'How did you guess?'

'I can sense the Force in this place... and it's very, very dark.'

Revan gave him a calculating look for a moment, before responding, 'Yes. It is, isn't it?' she then turned and continued to lead the way into the building.

They passed through a long corridor, into a large circular chamber. It appeared to be deserted. Well, until... "Ah, greetings." a female voice, lilting and alluring, "New prospects for our Master? Or new toys? What are you?"

The body that went with that voice - just as alluring, with sensual curves and a lithe grace that turned both Malak and Bandon into gawping morons - sauntered into the chamber. She wore skin-tight jet-black fabric, which flowed so beautifully... and the fine braids of her ice-blonde hair just brushed her shoulders... even though most of her face was concealed, her gleaming golden eyes seemed to draw Malak into them, and-

'Snap out if it!' Revan's thought snarled in his mind.

Malak blinked a few times, and suddenly realised the woman he was looking at was using the Force to hypnotise him... though she really didn't need much Force skill to hypnotise Bandon, who was still gawping.

"Bandon, close your mouth." Revan snapped aloud, "You look like an utter prat." Malak sniggered. 'You didn't look much less of a prat a second ago.' Revan scolded. That stopped Malak's sniggering.

"Jedi." the woman said gleefully, "The Master will like this. Come with me, darlings." she beckoned them deeper into the building.

Bandon started to follow her, but Revan gripped him with the Force... like snapping a choke-chain on a disobedient kath pup, it sure made Bandon stop in his tracks.

"What is your name?" Revan asked the woman coldly.

"Stheno." the blonde answered, turning sharply, to glance at Revan over her shoulder, the tiny beads at the end of her braids clicking as she did so, "Come meet my sisters, and my Master. I promise, we won't bite." by the way her eyes crinkled, it was clear she was grinning evilly. She sauntered off down the corridor, her hips swaying rhythmically, until she disappeared into the shadows.

"Get a grip on your hormones, boys." Revan hissed coldly, before following Stheno. Malak and Bandon followed her, and Malak did notice Revan's hands grip the lightsabers on her belt, and the aura of loathing she projected towards the other woman.

They were led to another chamber, smaller but still circular, in which Stheno and two more women, identical to her in every visible way, were waiting for them. "We know perfectly well that this is a trap..." Malak said warily, carefully constructing mental walls to block the mind-tricks they were trying to use on him.

"What is it you want from us?" Revan asked coldly.

One of the three women sauntered over to Revan, and eyed her up... "What do you look like under that mask, scarlet?"

"Could ask you the same question." Revan hissed.

The woman laughed at Revan, and then, "Got a name, scarlet?"

"My name is Revan. And if you call me scarlet again, I'll paint the walls that colour with your blood."

"Ooo, I like this one." one of the other two blondes noted gleefully.

The three women - they must be sisters - surrounded the three Jedi. One of them draped herself over Bandon, who didn't even try to pull away from her. Another one reached a hand out to Malak, who stepped back out of her reach, glancing at Revan, who was glaring daggers at the third blonde, "Which one of you is Stheno?" Malak asked.

"That would be me." the one standing right in front of him purred.

"And what is your name?" Revan asked the one she was glaring at.

"Euryale." she answered, smirking, "Do your boyfriends have names?"

"I'm Bandon." the Padawan answered obediently. His voice sounded kind of like it was a strain to think that much, right now.

"And you, handsome?" Stheno asked Malak. She was slowly chipping away at his mental defences, and it was exhausting just resisting her mind-tricks. He certainly couldn't resist looking at her, in spite of Revan's outrage.

"Don't see any handsome men in here." Malak said blithely.

"Gee, thanks." Bandon retorted, snapping out of the third sister's spell, and pushing her away from him.

"Care to tell us what you three are doing in an ancient Sith temple?" Revan asked coldly.

"Could ask you the same question." Euryale retorted, laughingly.

"I asked first." Revan said coldly.

"We study the ways of the Sith." Euryale said, smirking.

"Our Master teaches us to become powerful." Stheno added, trailing her fingers down Malak's chest. He took another step back, away from her.

"Yeah... and who taught you to be such skanky whores?" Revan asked acidly.

"Some people like skanky whores." Euryale said coldly, holding her hand over her chest as if Revan's statement had hurt her.

"I'm not one of those people." Revan hissed.

"Now, now. Children, please." a male voice echoed through the room. A middle-aged bald man was watching from the doorway. He was wearing black clothes (they weren't quite skin-tight, which was a blessing really, but they looked like they once had been, and he had shrivelled a bit as he aged) and a cape. "Play nice, now." his voice was cold and fairly high-pitched.

Revan turned her Force senses on this man, 'He's less sane than Derrin.' she informed Malak, "Who are you?" she asked the unidentified man.

"My name is Jorak Uln. I am these lovely girls' Master."

"Makes them sound like slave-girls." Malak noted coldly.

Stheno laughed at him for that, "Hardly." she purred, grabbing the front of Malak's robe, and leaning against him. He couldn't very well back away without her falling on the floor, now... though he did consider it. "Our Master teaches us to use the dark side of the Force. Like your Jedi Masters teach you to use the light."

The third sister was being at least as friendly with Bandon... but Euryale was watching Revan like the hooded figure was the plague. Which was probably all the better for the blonde's health, really. "So you're Sith?" Revan asked Jorak. The man nodded. "And these harlots? They're yours?"

"My students." Jorak said, smirking. The expression contorted his pale face into a twisted mockery of what a smile should be.

"Yeah... and you teach them such sweet innocent things." Revan growled sarcastically, stalking over to Stheno, and dragging the girl by the hair, away from Malak. Stheno snarled, and Revan was sent flying by a wave of the Force.

Malak was too surprised to react... but Revan picked herself up and sent a flash of lightening at Stheno for that.

"Ah, the Jedi know some party-tricks." Jorak crowed gleefully, "Excellent."

Revan turned to face Jorak, "What do you mean?"

"You could make a great Sith. The power, the anger... yes, you could be great." Jorak informed her.

Revan snorted, "I don't need you to tell me I'm powerful." she hissed. Stheno and Euryale edged away from Revan... Stheno was rubbing her arm where the lightening has struck her, and clearly sulking.

"True, indeed. You are proud... you could do well with learning our ways."

"Depends what you're teaching." Revan hissed, "I have no intention of being turned into some table-dancing whore like these little girls."

"We don't dance on tables." the third sister snapped indignantly.

Bandon raised an eyebrow at her, "You're not denying that you're whores, though?"

"We don't sell ourselves for money... but we do enjoy the company of men." the blonde replied, her golden eyes gleaming as she stared intently at Bandon.

"These girls are worse than Cassie." Bandon said flatly.

"Actually... we go for pretty much anyone who can play obediently." Euryale said, her eyes on Revan, "Not sure what you are, besides powerful I mean... but I like you."

Malak did to try to get rid of the mental picture of an orgy involving these three women, and himself and Revan... but it was a persistent thought. He knew Revan would not like it- 'Malak! Stop thinking that! It's... ewww!' ...too late... she got the image. He was now trying not to laugh at her outrage. 'When I made a Force-bond with you, I clearly should have read the fine print... the male brain is a disgusting thing.'

'You still love me, angel.'

'Yes... but you usually, at least, block such thoughts from me.'

'I was trying. I think those three are using some sort of mind-tricks.'

'They are.' "Call off your sirens, Jorak. My boys aren't interested." Revan said coldly, shooting a few more psychic recriminations at Malak for his thoughts.

"Speak for yourself." Bandon protested.

"Shut up, Bandon." Malak growled.

"Very well... girls, come on. Leave them be for now." Jorak said, clapping his hands sharply. The three blondes backed off, and sauntered over to hover behind Jorak. Suddenly, all the sensual allure in the room evaporated, and the three of them looked so evil they were almost repulsive. Almost. The radiating darkness Malak now sensed from them was as strong as he had sensed from Master Kendra's illusion of a Sith, during his trials for Knighthood... it wasn't as sickening as it had been to him then, but it still repelled him.

"Now... if you don't mind... we were just on our way to the valley-" Revan said, indicating back the way they had come, "So we'll be out of your hair, now."

'Bad joke to make with three bald men in the room.' Malak informed her.

'I thought so. That's why I said it.'

"Not so fast, Jedi." Jorak said pointedly. Revan watched him coldly, now. "What business have you in the valley?"

"We're looking for an artefact. None of your business, really." Revan answered.

"Oh, I think it is. Artefacts in those tombs are of great interest to me. I study the ancient Sith histories and philosophies. Anything you find may also interest me." Jorak said. Then he grinned, "And I may already know of what you seek. Perhaps you would be interested in making a deal?"

"I don't make deals with Sith." Revan said flatly.

"Heh... touché." Jorak laughed, "Not the most trustworthy by reputation, are we now? But all I was offering was an exchange of information. We can help you find what you're looking for, but in exchange I want you to attend the lessons I teach."

"Depends what you teach. If these three are your shining example, I'm not interested." Revan growled.

"They are my most powerful students... however their, ah, promiscuous tendencies, are not typical of what I teach." Jorak said flatly.

"And what do you typically teach, Jorak?" Revan asked coldly.

"Sith history, philosophy and mythology."

'You're going to accept his offer, aren't you?' Malak thought. Mythology was, after all, Revan's favourite obsession... especially now that Mandalore was dead.

'How ever did you guess?' Revan answered in mock innocence. "I like the sound of that." she told Jorak.

"Excellent." Jorak said gleefully, "Why don't you stay for the night? We have accommodation for students." Jorak smiled, that twisted smile that made him look really creepy, "And if you wish to study the Sith teachings, that is what you are now. My students."

x x x

The three Jedi were led to their separate rooms... if you could call them rooms, that is. They didn't have doors - they may as well have been sleeping in the corridor. The only concession to privacy was that the small alcoves were out of sight of each other. Malak didn't like this idea... but Revan accepted Jorak's offer, so they would stay.

There was no foreseeable way that Malak would get any sleep, that night. He just did not like being so exposed, like this. He didn't understand how such a treacherous mistrusting organisation as the Sith could sleep in such unprotected locations, where just about anyone could try to murder them in their sleep. Sith must be really light sleepers.

He sat, cross-legged, on the bed provided for him, and closes his eyes. It took him a while to sink into a meditative state, but when he did, what he felt was amazing. Korriban was so intense, so... powerful. So dark. The volcanic ground around them seethed with power, as if it was infused into the rock itself by the heat of its prehistoric lava flows. The stone building they were in was carved into the rock, giving it the same feel. The tombs out in the valley felt even stronger, the ghosts of their occupants screaming out for acknowledgement. And the Star Map called to him from there, as well. He was eager to find it.

He could, in this state, both relax and sense the life around him. There were, as Revan had said, about a dozen sentients within the building. The triplets, he could tell, were in a separate area of the accommodation block. Jorak was in the main area of the building. Others were scattered around the place, but none were near enough to be a threat.

It was probably dangerous to meditate, on this dark world. A chance it could affect him, turn him... but he didn't consider it that great a threat. He was strong, after all. And the darkness he sensed didn't seem particularly malignant. It was inviting, actually.

"What are you doing?" a female voice asked. It snapped him out of his trance, and he looked up to see one of the triplets standing in the corridor outside his 'room'.

"It's called meditation. Go away." Malak said coldly.

"Oh, no need to be so impolite. I was only curious." she said, pouting.

Malak rolled his eyes, "Which one are you, anyway?"

"I'm Stheno." she replied, her golden eyes lighting up.

He hadn't had the chance to create sufficient mental defences, as he hadn't expected to encounter her again that night, and he found himself staring at her with rapture.

She twirled one of her braids idly, then sauntered slowly over to him, and sat on the edge of his bed, uninvited. He didn't complain. "So... you never did tell me your name..." she purred.

"My name is Malak." he said distantly. How do her eyes glow like that, anyway? They're beautiful.

Stheno smiled, and leaned closer to him, "You're very attractive, Malak."

"Th-thank you." now that was a dumb thing to say... talk about being tongue-tied.

She trailed her fingertips down the side of his face, the touch felt electric... and then, her hands moved to his shoulders, and she pushed him sharply backwards, so he fell back onto the bed. Within a second, she was on top of him. "Let's get you out of those nasty Jedi clothes." she purred, ripping the fabric of the robe, as she tore it from him.

He could distantly sense the Force in her words, as well as her actions. But it didn't seem to bother him, even though he knew it should. She removed the mask from her face, revealing her skin to be pale as snow, her lips an odd shade of purple that looked almost dead, and she had a few faint lines around her temples, which looked like veins. Malak shivered - he still managed to find something attractive in this twisted mockery of a woman. Her eyes drew him in, like a moth to a flame.

She trailed her fingers lightly down his chest, then placed the palm of her hand over his heart, and leaned over to kiss him. His eyes flickered closed of their own volition, and he returned the kiss enthusiastically, his hands reaching up to her waist.

But she caught his hands with the Force, and pinned them to the bed, above his head, not moving her own hands to do so. "I don't like to be touched." she murmured, "I prefer to do the touching." Malak didn't even try to struggle against the invisible bindings she had conjured. He let his hands fall where she had put them, and she released him. She kissed his lips lightly, "Good boy." The way she touched him, the way she kissed him... it was very... arousing.

She shifted her position slightly, and started to unfasten Malak's trousers. As her attention and focus left his mind for a moment, it suddenly registered with him that this was wrong... that he shouldn't be doing this. She was incredibly alluring, but aside from the fact Revan would pitch a right fit if she found out... this woman was a Sith, and he was a Jedi... talk about sleeping with the enemy. Both were very good reasons to resist her.

He focused all his willpower on blocking her mind-tricks, and then reached down to grab her wrists. She looked up at him, startled. She had been just about to pull off his trousers, and she clearly had not expected him to try to stop her. "Let go of me." she hissed, trying to pull her hands out of his grasp.

"How about you get off me?" Malak suggested.

Stheno's eyes seemed to glow that little bit brighter, "Why would I do that? I was having fun." she said, her tone lilting and saccharine.

"Get off me. I don't want you, Stheno." Malak snarled.

"But you do want me." she said, the Force in her words.

Malak's mental defences barely stood up to the attack... but while he did resist it, he couldn't summon the will to physically lash out at her. Not with that seductive energy radiating from her. So instead, he rolled them both over, so he was on top of her, pinning her to the bed.

She started to tremble, and Malak sensed fear from her, "Let me go!" she yelled, all semblance of allure discarded in favour of anger and venom, as she struggled in vain against his superior physical strength.

"What's the matter, Stheno? Don't like the tables being turned on you?" Malak taunted. He was tempted, very tempted, to just take her, like this... she had been eager enough a minute ago, and it would teach the little bitch a lesson for trying to seduce him. But then, Revan really would pitch a fit.

"Get off me!" Stheno shrieked.

Malak winced... he had no doubt Revan heard that, even if she hadn't already heard his thoughts. He let go of the Sith woman, and threw her off his bed, keeping his mental defences up. "Get out." he growled.

She gave him one angry glare, before turning and bolting down the corridor. As soon as she was gone, Malak allowed himself to collapse face-down on the bed, his face buried in the pillow.

The sound of a feminine scream attracted his attention, and he looked up in time to see another of the triplets run down the corridor, from the general direction of Revan's room, headed in the same direction that Stheno had gone, with her hair on fire. Malak smirked darkly... looks like Revan's pyromania (which was only triggered by Tarek) found a new target.

x x x

The next morning, Malak had a problem. His Jedi robes were ripped beyond repair. He only had one set of robes left, and it was in his room on the Defiant... buried under some datapads, a chair, and the remains of breakfast from some time last week.

He needed new clothes. Even the trousers of his Jedi attire had been ripped... he wasn't sure how she did it, but it was unwearable. He decided his last resort was to root in the footlocker in his 'room', for anything even semi-wearable, to pass for clothes until he got back to the Defiant.

The clothing he found did not surprise him. Black stretchy fabric, which would likely look utterly ridiculous, even if it did fit him. He certainly wasn't going to wear it on its own. He could just picture Revan's thoughts on that matter. 'Just wear it, Malak... it can't be worse than running around the Sith tombs naked... can it?' Revan asked him.

'How long have you been spying on me, angel?'

'Since I woke up... a few minutes before you did. Nice dreams, by the way.' Revan thought, amused. Malak blushed - the dream in question had involved Revan, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce. 'Must try that some time... it looked fun.' That made him blush even more.

'Back to the relevant point.' Malak thought, 'This outfit won't leave much more to the imagination than wandering around naked would.'

'I like the sound of that.'

Malak rolled his eyes, and dressed in the offensive clothing. It was actually very comfortable. Still, he ripped some of his Jedi robes, and turned them into what on Ravnos would be a fashionable accessory (Ravnos is infamous, even to fashion-blinds, for its torn, bedraggled, and goth-style fashion). It would do, temporarily.

'Look in the mirror.' Revan thought.

'You're looking through my eyes?' Malak asked her, stunned.

'Have been since before you woke up... it's how I saw your dream... I always thought my butt was bigger than that.'

Malak spluttered aloud, 'Voyeuristic witch.'

'Thank you. Now look in a mirror.'

Malak glanced around, 'If you see one, please tell me.'

He heard Revan's laughter from down the corridor, and she quickly appeared in the 'room'. She looked him over critically, "Looks acceptable. I like what you've done with the remains of your robes."

Malak snorted, self-consciously, "This makes me look like a prat."

"It shows off your muscles... I like it."

"Why do I surrender to looking like a fool, just because you say you like it? First the tattoos, now this!" Malak all-but-whined.

Revan laughed, "Because you love me."

"Yeah... that's the reason."

x x x

Lessons at the Sith Academy - for that was what Jorak referred to the place as - were a great deal like history lessons at the Jedi Temple. At least, for Malak, they were. He was on the verge of falling asleep in class (though the late hour to which he stayed up, the previous night, could have effected that somewhat).

Jorak prattled on about various Sith Lords of old. A few things did filter through Malak's boredom. Ajunta Pall was the one with the sword... Marka Ragnos was the defensive, wiser one... Naga Sadow was considered the powerful one... and there was another tomb out there, but Malak wasn't interested enough to remember the name of the dead Sith in it.

Eventually, after the history lesson, Jorak got on to the good stuff. Sith philosophies. Malak considered a lesson in comparative beliefs, to see how the two sides related to each other, might be a bit more interesting than the history. Revan seemed to find both fascinating, however.

"The Sith believe in survival of the fittest. The strong shall rule, the weak shall serve or die." Jorak said, clearly proud of this belief, "This Academy is designed to teach its students to use the dark side of the Force to gain their power, to make them strong enough to rule."

"But doesn't power corrupt?" Revan asked, "If you become corrupted by the power you wield, you lose focus of your original goals."

"That is a Jedi superstition. There is no good and evil, only power... and those too weak to seek it."

"I thought the Sith saying was: 'There is no good and evil, only power... and power corrupts the weak-minded'?" Revan persisted, "Which is why I asked the question in the first place."

Jorak gave her a very calculating look, "Where did you hear that version of it?"

"I found a Sith document in my Master's quarters." Revan said flatly.

"Then the Jedi probably tampered with it." Jorak dismissed blithely.

"She wouldn't have. She valued all knowledge, even that of the Sith. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, which is why you need a lot, so you know how not to misuse it." Revan said, smirking. It was something Master Kendra had once told them, and Revan had certainly taken it to heart.

"Trust no one, child. That is the first rule of the Sith. Everyone is out for their own good, and you should be wary in case someone else's plans involve your ignorance... or your 'accidental' death." Jorak growled.

Revan glared at Jorak, who actually flinched slightly, in spite of the fact he couldn't see her expression under that mask. "Then you say I should not trust you, either?"

"I... you are making this incredibly difficult, Revan." Jorak said coldly.

"I pride myself in my ability to turn a person's own logic and strategies against them. You have heard about the recent Republic-Mandalore wars, haven't you?" she asked innocently.

"Yes. We have heard what you did there, Revan. It is very impressive, which is why I wished to see how receptive you were to the Sith teachings."

"I'm always willing to listen." Revan said, smirking.

"Then perhaps you will do so, and cease to argue with me!"

"But your quote didn't match something I had already learned from other Sith sources." Revan protested.

"The version you heard was once spoken by Marka Ragnos... a twisted version of Naga Sadow's more accurate quote." one of the other students supplied - a tall man in his late twenties, with wiry black hair, and golden eyes. He wasn't as pale as Jorak, but he was well on his way to it.

"That makes sense. Ragnos was the more defensive, more cautious, of the Sith Lords. Sadow was too hot-headed to see long-term problems." Revan said calmly.

Jorak glared at her, "If you know so much about the Sith, then answer me a question. What is the one emotion most dangerous to a Sith."

Revan frowned, "Compassion. It is a weakness, it leads to mercy. Mercy is the worst weakness a Sith can display. Show an enemy mercy and they will return to hurt you when you least expect it."

"And tell me, what emotions are most useful to a Sith?"

"Passion fuels the Force." Revan said calmly, "Even the Jedi admit it, they simply believe it is more efficient in the long run to act with logic and clarity. So, as passion is our source, our power... then love would be the most useful."

"NO! No, no, no, no!" Jorak yelled, hitting the desk he stood behind with the palms of his hands, "Love is a vice, a danger! It can lead to compassion!"

"Love is stronger than any hatred." Revan said coldly, "It can make a man move mountains, even without the Force on his side. Hatred is destructive, love is constructive. Love is something both sides fear." she stood up, "Why is that, Jorak? You want power so badly, but you fear to stare into the sun, the greatest source of power, in case it blinds you! But tell me something else... you stare into the abyss instead... does it really stare back?"

"Nice metaphors." Bandon muttered, smirking.

"Yes, it does stare back. And if you listen, it calls to you, too." Jorak said, also smirking, "And of course love blinds you, you foolish child. It blinds you to the greatest threat... one you trust so completely as to love them will undoubtedly be one you least suspect to harm you."

"You are the fool, old man." Revan hissed. She turned and stormed to the door, only pausing to add, "When I find what I am searching for, you will regret it. Korriban will become a target, as much as Mandalore Prime. Stay the hell out of my way." and she left.

Malak and Bandon exchanged a brief glance, before coming to the unanimous decision that they had no use for the history lesson, if Revan wasn't there to keep them awake. They followed her out of the room.

x x x

Revan led them down to the tombs. It was even creepier here. The darkness was much stronger. Revan made a beeline for Naga Sadow's tomb, following the scent of power the maps gave off, like a kinrath on the scent of blood. Malak and Bandon barely kept up with her brisk pace.

'You seemed adamant in your defence of love.' Malak noted.

'I'm not blind to your... behaviour, Malak. I would not be fool enough to ignore the signs if you were up to no good. But I also see into your mind, and know you are loyal to me. I know what happened with Stheno, last night.'

Malak bowed his head, looking at the ground, 'I-'

'You rejected her.' she smiled, 'Thank you. I actually wasn't sure if you would, or not... I shouldn't have doubted you.'

'What, exactly, happened that resulted in the other one running away with her hair on fire?' Malak asked... he really couldn't contain the sadistic tone that came across in his thoughts. He wanted to know exactly how stupid the Sith girl had been, and then laugh about it.

'Euryale...' Revan thought, amused, 'She tried to seduce me.'

'Now there's a mental picture.'

'Oh, please. She's not my type!' Revan protested.

'And what is your type?'

'Besides you, you mean?'

'Yes.'

'Well... if I were ever to experiment with females... they wouldn't be human.' she then gave Malak quite an obscene mental image involving a female Twi'lek.

Malak spluttered, and almost tripped up, 'Thank you. I'm never going to get rid of that image.' though there was no sarcasm in his thanks... it was actually a very... fascinating thought. 'Not practical, though...' he noted.

'I know... lekku don't do that, do they?' Revan thought, barely avoiding laughing, 'Hey, you're not the only one with twisted fantasies, around here, Malak.'

'And boy, are those twisted fantasies.' Malak retorted, referring to Revan's mental images. And he thought she was sweet and innocent... he should know better, he really should. Back on track, now... she sure knew how to distract him from what he meant to talk about, 'So what, exactly, happened with Euryale?'

'She came into my room... I looked like I was asleep, but I wasn't. I really can't sleep with this stupid mask on, but I was still wearing it. I had no intention of taking it off in a public place like this.' Revan explained. Malak nodded, and she continued, 'She sat on the edge of my bed, said she was drawn to my power, said she wanted me... funny how she said that when she didn't even know if I was male or female.'

'Those three seem drawn more to power than looks.' Malak noted.

'True.' Revan thought, nodding, 'I told her to sod off. She said she didn't want to. She tried to take off my mask. I set her hair on fire with Force lightening - those beads they wear are highly flammable, all it takes is a spark. Simple as that, really.'

'Wish I'd seen it.' Malak thought, trying not to laugh.

They were still a fair way away from Naga Sadow's tomb, and Malak couldn't think of anything to say. Revan, however... "Bandon... you're being awfully quite."

Bandon looked up at her, surprised, "So were you."

"Telepathy. You're out of the loop." Revan said bluntly, "Now why are you being so quiet?"

He shrugged and looked at the ground, a slight smile tugged the corner of his lip.

"Let me guess..." Malak said coldly, "One of those three Sith women?"

Bandon was startled by this, "How did you know?"

"They tried to seduce both of us." Revan said, "Oh, don't tell me you-"

"He did." Malak said flatly. The colour in Bandon's cheeks was enough proof, "What, exactly, did she do to you, Bandon?"

"Malak!" Revan snapped.

Bandon's face turned an odd shade of red, and Malak sniggered, "If you're that embarrassed about it, it must have been good." Malak noted.

'Malak, I'm warning you.' Revan growled in his mind.

"Yes... it was good." Bandon mumbled, "And I'm not going to tell you the details."

Malak shrugged innocently, "Whatever."

He could sense some degree of relief from Revan at the fact they reached Naga Sadow's tomb, and the conversation had ceased. She examined the door to the tomb, carefully. "It's locked." she announced.

"How do we open it?" Malak asked.

"I have the key." a low voice said, from nearby. Standing next to one of the stone pillars, a few feet away, was the student who had spoken up during Jorak's class. He eyed them carefully, making sure all their attention was on him, before continuing, "What exactly are you looking for?"

"Who are you, anyway?" Bandon demanded.

"You don't need to know my name." the man said, with a wave of his hand, and Force in his words.

"Um... yes we do." Malak said coldly. Bandon had received the full effect of the man's Force persuasion, but Malak and Revan had only been secondary targets, and also had superior mental defences to the Padawan.

The man glared at Malak, "No you don't." stronger Force persuasion in his words, but Malak did resist it. Barely.

"Quit playing games with us." Revan snarled.

The man chuckled, "My name is Uthar. I am one of Jorak's favourite students. I would be his most prized student if it weren't for the demonatrix sisters."

Malak smirked, "Cute name for them."

"It's appropriate." Uthar noted bluntly, his eyes on Revan, "I liked your outburst, during our lesson, Revan." he smirked, "Very few would be brave enough to talk back to Master Jorak."

"I'm not afraid of him." Revan said flatly.

Uthar raised an eyebrow, still sizing Revan up... then after a moment, he bowed his head, "And I'm not fool enough to deny that I fear you."

Revan watched Uthar, with some degree of surprise, for a moment, before she said, "Well, what do you want, then?"

"I said I had a key for that tomb. I found it in one of the Academy's catacombs." Uthar explained, "I'll help you get in there, if you help me."

"What do you want our help with?" Revan asked.

"Disposing of the triplets." Uthar answered, smirking, "Don't care how you get rid of them, I just want them out of my way... then I can become Jorak's apprentice."

Revan considered this for only a few seconds, "All right. Let us in, and I'll get rid of those three for you."

Uthar grinned evilly, "Excellent." he walked over to them, producing a key from a pocket on his jacket, and placed the key in the lock of the tomb. As soon as the door was open, Revan entered, growling, "Stay out of our way, now, Uthar."

The Sith wisely backed off.

The tomb wasn't booby-trapped. Revan detected two beasts that were the same as the beast they had sensed on Kashyyyk, but they were in another part of the tomb, and not an immediate threat. They found the map easily enough. Revan activated the map without the problems she had had on Kashyyyk, and it lit up the interior of the tomb quite spectacularly.

"Wow." Bandon murmured, staring in awe at the map, "This is what you guys have been looking for?"

"No... this is just a map... to guide us to it." Malak answered, "What have we got, now, Revan?"

"We're missing one of the six points of the coordinates for the final location. But we have another planet location, here." she looked up at the two of them, "Dantooine."

"You are bloody kidding me." Bandon said flatly.

"I kid you not."

"If there was something like this on Dantooine, surely the Jedi would have found it by now?" Bandon asked.

"I'd be surprised if they hadn't." Revan agreed, "I'd also be very surprised if they told every Knight and Padawan about the exact location of a source of dark power on one of their planets."

"She's got a point, Bandon." Malak put in, "Do you really think they'd want nosy kids like us running off to investigate something like this?"

"Then why are we here?" Bandon asked.

"Why were we in the war in the first place?" Revan asked flatly, still examining the map intently.

"Um... because you disobeyed the Council?"

"That's right." Revan said, cheerfully. She circled the map slowly, taking in a few more details from it, before stepping back, and allowing the map to close, "Next stop, Dantooine, boys."

x x x

Passing through the Academy, again, they were confronted by Jorak and his three witches. "I don't appreciate being threatened, Revan." Jorak growled.

"And I don't appreciate you getting in my way." Revan said calmly, "Shoo, now, fool."

Jorak's eyes narrowed, and he made a slight gesture to the girls. One of them beckoned Bandon to her, and he obediently went to her. The other two used the Force to physically pull Malak to them. Malak could sense the difference between Stheno and her sisters, now... and one of the two who had drawn him to them was Stheno. She pinned him to the wall, using the Force as well as her own body, "I'll teach you not to fight back, Malak." she hissed at him.

"Sorry, Stheno. There's only one woman I'd ever allow to pin me down like this." Malak said quietly. He tried to push her away, but physically couldn't resist her when she used the Force to enhance her strength.

He noticed Revan throw Jorak across the room, using the Force. Uthar, who must have been lurking nearby, intervened, "Leave him alone, Revan." he snapped.

Revan tilted her head to one side, "Why should I?"

Stheno's hand trailed down Malak's chest, while the other sister traced her fingers over the tattoos on his head. Malak responded to this by using the Force to electrically charge his skin, shocking both of them.

"Because you can't beat both of us, without your bodyguards." Uthar said flatly.

Revan glared at him, "Why do you protect him?"

"Jorak is my Master." Uthar said calmly, "He raised me, he's like a father to me. Of course, one day, I will rise to take his place... but today is not that day."

Jorak smirked as he limped to Uthar's side, "Well said, my boy. Now kill this upstart for me."

Uthar raised an eyebrow at that. Revan laughed at them both, "You're kidding, right?"

Malak chose that moment to lash out at Stheno. Normally, he would never hit a woman, but these two had it coming to them. Especially Stheno. He hit her in the side of the head, with his forearm. The blow was calculated to knock a man unconscious, but he had never fought hand-to-hand against a woman, before... especially not one so thin as Stheno. Her neck was much more delicate than the men he was used to fighting, and it snapped like a twig. She fell to the ground, dead.

Revan sensed the death, and turned to stare at Malak. She was surprised, but not horrified. She threw lightening at the other Sith woman, a lethal dose. Bandon wasn't so eager to fight, however... actually, the Sith who pinned him to the wall had her hand down his trousers, and he certainly seemed to be enjoying it.

Revan turned on the third Sith woman, and lifted her off the ground with Force grip around her throat, dragging her away from Bandon. Revan threw the Sith woman at Jorak, who had the poor timing to have activated his lightsaber a second ago... probably with the intent of using it on Revan... but it ended up impaling the third Sith woman, as she flew into him, knocking him down.

All three of the women were dead, now.

Bandon blinked a few times, looked around, and saw the dead bodies, "What the hell?!"

"Still think you can take us down, Jorak?" Revan asked, amused.

Jorak picked himself up, staring at the dead bodies of his favourite students, "I... no. No, I cannot fight you." he said flatly.

Revan smirked, "Good to see you're not as insane as first appearances led me to believe." she said brightly, "We'll be on our way, now." she turned and swept out of the Academy.

Malak gave Bandon a brief disdainful glance, and then followed Revan. He soon heard the Padawan's footsteps hurrying behind him.

x x x 


	10. Power

Falling For You

Author's Notes: Dantooine... the point of no return... and the most important choice of Malak's life, EVER. Chocolate awards this week go to whoever can tell me where Cassie's mythological roots are.

RollingSkull: Yeah, well I was listening to Rocky Horror songs while I wrote it - what else do you expect? Everyone has darkness in them, it's just certain places (like Korriban) seem to draw it out more than others. The sisters weren't planning on "taking Revan's team down" - they just liked having sex with random people. FYI, Skull darling, my vacation injury (you know the one) inspired half of chapter 12!  
Rascarin: Thanks - here's more.  
Dark Lord Daishi: Interesting is definitely the right word.  
Kosiah: Thank you ::bows:: I figured it'd break the cliché of writing from Revan's POV. Kinda Dracula-y, yeah... Buffy's version is my favourite, btw - the Dracky-babes, I think Xander called them.  
Firera: Yes! Medusa is right! ::gives you more chocolate:: glad you liked it - I was trying to think like a typical male, when I wrote Malak's reaction to Stheno... I found it easy to write... d'you think I got it right?  
Darth Arachne: Yeah... you're the second person to mention the Dracula-brides parallel - it wasn't intentional, but I'm pleased with the result. I am a pyromaniac myself, so setting characters on fire is fun. If Bandon's gonna become Malak's apprentice I need to explore his character to find out why... he is fun, though.  
HK-48: Well, I'm an evil woman, and it just wouldn't do if I didn't take some opportunity to use all my skills of sexual innuendo to seduce my male readers, now would it :p F-15 Eaglestrike: Yeah, that was based on one of Dorak's questions for your Jedi class... I thought it was cute, since so many people think the "knock" option is stupid. Yes, though the bond gets annoying, for me as the writer... and I will be portraying that annoyance through Malak... which I think you'll find humorous.  
Niliav: I'd not mind an orgy with those three women and Jedi Malak, either :p ... and yeah, Bandon is very susceptible to mind-tricks, makes him a fun character to play with, though.  
ether-fanfic: ::bows:: thank you - I take pride in being twisted and evil. I think Uthar would be a fun character to develop further... he has so much potential, and we know so little about him.  
yeth: Yes, that was just a warning-sign... it'll rear its ugly head again in chapter 11... but it'll really shine later on (though I can't quote numbers because I've not written that part in detail yet.  
Cantankerous84: Thanks for spotting that... I fixed it. Glad you liked the chapter, though.  
Whisper: Hi, kiddo. Just a bit? I was aiming for "very disturbing" :p Trunxluvr82190: No, Revan did not put the acid pool there... SCHVch9: ""Who put that there?" I demanded, staring at the pool of acid across the central chamber of the tomb"  
Prisoner 24601: Glad you approve of what I've done to the boy - I try to avoid the blatant clichés (though you really cannot beat black leather), but Bioware's thrown so many of them at me... and look what they did to poor innocent Malak's dress-sense, it's appalling! Glad you liked all the cameos... the mask, well, it felt important to me that it be Mandalore's, I don't know why. Yes, Revan thought that line was funny too, it's why she said it. Jorak would do well to meet Frank-N-Furter... now that would be a scary crossover to write... maybe Erin'd be willing to help me ::ponders:  
Ryu (ch1): Glad you're liking it. Welcome to the Dark Side - this is one morbid fic - if you make it this far, I shall be very pleased ::insert evil maniacal cackling here::

"Heaven help me, I don't believe in man,  
I never talked to god, the devil won't shake my hand,  
Heaven help me, I will not live in fear,  
But it's too much truth to take when you are not sincere.  
So what is it on Earth, you ask, that isn't out on a limb?  
When a fat chance in my mind, in yours could be so slim.  
Well, this is to say that's a Nobel Prize right there,  
You can ask me where I've been, please don't ask me why I care.  
Heaven help me, I don't believe in words,  
When I don't use the right ones, my thoughts cannot be heard.  
So I string up the clichés, across the windowpane,  
What's that I always say? Oh yeah, 'no pain no gain"  
-Common Rotation, Heaven Help Me.  
P.S. I had trouble choosing between three of this band's songs to use for this chapter. But either way, they're a bloody brilliant band, and I highly recommend that you listen to them (they're even better live, but check out this website: ).

x x x

Chapter 10 - Power

The Defiant was headed for the Dantooine system. Malak had decided, after much persistence from Revan, to keep the black clothing he had found on Korriban, though he had added some of his own armour to it, which made it look slightly more presentable than it had while they had been on Korriban.

Revan had dyed her robes black... she said it was to match his clothes, but he had suspicions otherwise... the fact she had started wearing a diamond necklace under her robes didn't help to allay his suspicions at all. She was still heartbroken over Genie's death, and had finally gotten around to changing the colour of her robes... she was mourning. Well, that and Euryale calling her 'scarlet' seemed to have really rubbed her the wrong way.

Now, they were a few hours away from Dantooine, and there was a knock on the door of Malak's room. He had been trying to meditate again, but he looked up and said, "Enter."

The door opened, and Cassie stepped nervously into the room. She surveyed the junk piled around the room with some distaste, but didn't comment on it. "Malak... I wanted to talk to you."

"What about?" he asked, standing up, and walking slowly into the middle of the room.

Cassie closed the door, and took a couple of steps further into the room, her eyes carefully on what little of the floor was visible, "It... it's about Revan."

"What about her?" Malak asked... he glanced around the room, but there were no seats he could offer Cassie... all the chairs in the room were buried under various forms of junk.

"I... I'm worried about her." Cassie said, frowning, "She... both of you, actually... you've been acting differently. I... fear that you may both be in danger."

"What do you mean?" Malak asked, confused.

"I had a... a vision." she admitted, "It was vague... all I saw was that something bad could happen to you... both of you... if you keep trying to find this... this thing you're looking for."

"And what do you want me to do about it?"

"Stop Revan from searching for it. We don't need it. Not really."

"Yes we do." Malak said flatly.

Cassie looked up at him, her green eyes glittering, "Please... at least think about what I've said. Bad things could happen if you ignore me."

Malak frowned, "I trust your judgement, Cassie... you have uncanny foresight... but I agree with Revan on this one."

"Just think about it. That's all I'm asking." she said, her eyes pleading.

Malak nodded, "Very well. I'll think about it."

"Thank you." Cassie smiled weakly - a smile that didn't reach her eyes - then turned to leave.

x x x

Malak did think about it. Cassie had never been wrong, yet... but he trusted Revan more. So it was that he and Revan went down to Dantooine, taking two small fighter-sized ships down to the location Revan was certain the map would be found in.

They weren't far from the Jedi enclave, so they made a point of landing at night, about half an hour before dawn, when there was a fair amount of cloud-cover, and they could go unnoticed. The ancient ruins here were much better preserved than they had been on other worlds.

On Tatooine, they had been eroded beyond recognition. On Manaan and Kashyyyk, they have been lost completely to the elements. On Korriban, they had probably been ripped down by the Sith to make way for the Sith temple and tombs. But here, the so-called ruins stood in near-perfect condition... most of it had been covered over by earth and grass, but it was still clear by the cartography readout that the building was intact.

By starlight, it looked beautiful, if incredibly eerie, as they approached the ruins. The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon, casting a crimson glow over the clouded sky. The grass was dry, as the winter season approached for this part of Dantooine, and it made a satisfying crunching sound as it broke underfoot.

Revan led the way to the entrance of the ruins. The air of power around the doorway was... delicious. "The dark side is strong in this place - I can feel its power!" Malak said, aloud.

'Of course you can... a Force-blind gizka would notice it.' Revan thought coldly, examining the symbols on the doorway intently.

Malak watched her carefully, as she read the symbols. She was translating them, he could hear her thoughts... the problem was she was thinking in an alien language, which it seemed like this writing corresponded to. It sounded like the same language she had conversed with the computer on Kashyyyk in.

He could sense the darkness in her, now... even if she tried to conceal it from him, it was too strong to miss it. Power, pure and simple. But she said it herself, power corrupts. He watched intently, as she reached out to press one of the stone tiles inset in the door. A grinding sound could be heard from within the ruins.

What if Cassie was right? "Is this wise? The ancient Jedi sealed the archway." he said warily.

Revan did hear him, but she didn't answer. Instead, she pressed a second stone tile, which caused more grinding sounds from within the building.

Suddenly, he was afraid. Revan really was behaving differently. Colder, as if she didn't care anymore. Almost heartless. "If we pass beyond this door, we can never go back. The Order will surely banish us." he said plaintively.

'And I look like I care, why?' Revan thought, emotionless... like she were carved from ice... and not in the way a normal Jedi was, this was much darker, more frightening. She pressed the third stone tile, and the door opened, flowering out as elaborately as the maps themselves did. It reminded Malak ominously of a gaping maw, looking to swallow them whole.

Revan entered the ruins, with confidence, and a certainty that she would come to no harm. Malak closed his eyes for a second, took a deep breath, and followed her, "Are the secrets of the Star Forge so valuable, Revan?" he asked warily, as they walked through the eerie, dust-covered hall of the ruins, "Can its power truly be worth the risk?"

Revan stopped, as they reached another door, and looked up at him, "Risk? What risk?"

"Who knows what lies in these ruins? And even if we safely find the map, who knows what it will lead us to?" Malak protested.

Revan sighed, exasperated, "Malak, you should not let fear cloud your judgement. Nothing can be gained without risk."

"But certain risks are greater than others... and I..." his voice lowered, so she only heard him through his thoughts, even though he spoke it aloud, "I don't want you to get yourself hurt."

"I can take care of myself, Malak." she opened the door, and stepped through. In the next room, they encountered a droid, which spoke to them in an unidentified language.

"Sounds like Sand People." Malak muttered.

Revan frowned, "I don't understand you." she informed the droid.

It spoke again, in a very different language. A sequence of clicks and hisses, which Malak had no idea the meaning of.

Revan's eyes widened, "That's an ancient insectoid language... originating on Korriban, before the native species died out. I... I can make out some of it." she produced a few clicking noises in the same language, and the droid switched to another language.

It sounded like the language she spoke to the machine on Kashyyyk, and Revan proceeded to converse with it. Malak folded his arms, and looked around the room, trying to pretend that he didn't really care what they were talking about. The room was thick with dust, and felt like no living thing had set foot in it for millennia. He could sense the aura of power from the next room, through the door opposite the one they entered through.

Slowly, he walked over to the door, and examined it. The locking mechanism was more complicated than that of the main entrance, which made sense. An inner sanctum would be more secure than the temple itself. There were two symbols on the lock; one was a serpent eating its own tail, the other a pair of bones crossing each other.

Revan finished her conversation with the droid, and walked over to Malak, "The serpent symbol is called Ouroboros, it means life, specifically eternal life. The bones mean death. The two locks can be unsealed through these doors." she indicated to the left and right, "One for each room."

"Sounds simple enough." Malak said, examining the intricate design of the serpent symbol. Every tiny scale seemed to have been carved with detailed care and precision. It looked almost alive. "What's the catch?"

Revan walked over to the door to the left, and looked at it carefully, "There's a test in here. I'm not sure what it is, but it sounds dangerous. The droid spoke of the temple's own defences killing those who are unworthy."

"Maybe we should just turn back now?" Malak suggested, his fear returning with this concept.

"I think I'm more than worthy, don't you?" Revan asked coldly.

"Depends on how you define worthy, Revan. If it defines 'worthy' as a trait you do not possess, it could kill you. I don't want to-"

"Shut up." she snapped, "I'm going into this room, now are you coming with me, or not?"

"I..." Malak stared at her for a moment, then nodded, "Yes. I would follow you to hell and back, angel."

Revan smirked, "Of course you would." she said, opening the door. Immediately, she ignited her lightsabers, deflecting blaster bolts, which Malak quickly realised were coming from a droid in the room. A single droid, but its blaster fire was intense enough to have been from a dozen crack-shot Mandalorian warriors. Revan barely deflected it, even with both blades moving so fast they blurred in front of her.

Malak leapt over her, using the Force to enhance and guide his jump, reaching to the Force to shield himself, as blaster fire turned on him. He saw a flash of lightening from Revan, aimed at the droid, which froze for a moment, just long enough for Malak to land in front of the droid, and drive his 'saber down through its core processors. That fight was over.

Revan walked slowly up to Malak, and looked him over carefully, "You are uninjured?" Malak nodded. "Good." Revan replied, before walking over to the only other fully intact object in the room. Malak followed her, and looked over her shoulder as she examined the console.

She read it fairly easily, "The language of the Builders." Revan informed him, at his curiosity about the language, "Those who created the Star Maps, and the Star Forge."

"Star Forge?" Malak asked her.

"The Star Forge is the glory of the Builders, the apex of their infinite empire. It is a machine of invincible might, a tool of unstoppable conquest." Revan quoted, a snide tone making it obvious she was mimicking someone else's words, "That is all the droid in the central chamber could tell me of it. It appears to be the power source these Maps point to."

Malak nodded, "So what does this console say?"

"It's a pop-quiz. Name three primary death-giving planet types." Revan pressed three symbols on the touch-screen, and the screen beeped, and lit up with a different symbol, "Barren, volcanic, and desert. That new symbol means the seal is now open." she explained. She then turned on her heel and left the room, headed across the central chamber, to the other door. Malak followed her closely.

Revan opened the door, and Malak immediately threw a wave of the Force across the whole room. It threw off the droid's stabilizers, and he leapt at the droid, again. It was taken enough by surprise that it didn't get off a single shot. Revan threw lightening at it, which kept it stunned, until Malak could run it through, exactly the same way as he had done for the first droid.

Revan immediately made her way over to the console, and quickly pressed the screen three times. It beeped an affirmative. "Life-giving planets." Revan murmured as she passed Malak. He fell into step with her, and she continued, "It's a bit blatant, when I was given a multiple choice of six answers... the same choices for both questions. The answers for one will automatically not be the answers for the other. Almost too easy."

"Those droids weren't 'too easy'."

"They went down fast."

"The first one put up a good fight."

"Hmm... true." Revan made her way to the door that contained the two seals. The two symbols had moved higher up the door, and the door opened as they approached it. At the far end of a long hall, with statues of the species he had seen on the Kashyyyk hologram lining the walls, was the Star Map. Its wicked black spires flowered out as they approached, releasing the glittering image of the galaxy... and a wave of dark power with it. Malak closed his eyes, and allowed the sensation of this darkness to wash over him. Beautiful.

Revan examined the Map, carefully. "This has the final coordinates." she announced, "The Star Forge is in the Outer Rim, beyond Mandalorian space... only a few parsecs from the borders of Korriban's territorial space. Neutral ground, though close to hostile territories."

Malak nodded, "Are you certain you wish to go there?" he asked.

She held her head high, "Of course I'm certain."

Malak half bowed his head, "I trust your judgement, Revan." I just hope we're not making a big mistake.

x x x

When they returned to the Defiant, they were immediately informed by Tyr that Cassie had disappeared.

"She's gone to tell the Jedi on Dantooine what we're up to." Malak said distantly.

"How do you know?" Revan asked him, giving him a suspicious look.

"She tried to talk me into stopping you from searching for the Maps." Malak told her, "She thought they were dangerous. It makes sense that if she went AWOL around Dantooine, she would go running to the Masters to rat on us."

"Well, we should leave before they locate us." Revan said, nodding to the Admiral, "Take us to these coordinates, Admiral." she said, handing him the datapad with the Star Forge coordinates on it, "And signal the rest of the fleet to follow us." the Admiral examined the coordinates, then nodded. He wasn't sure what to make of this, but he trusted Revan - she had effectively won the war for them, after all.

"Why are we avoiding the Jedi Masters, Revan?" Captain Karath asked nervously.

"Because they would disapprove of what we are searching for." Revan said blithely, "They disapproved of us joining the war, too. Shows how good their judgement is, doesn't it? Trust me, Captain." she added, with the very faintest hint of the Force in her words.

The Captain nodded, conceding that what Revan said made sense.

Revan turned to get one last look at Dantooine, 'I'll get you, Cassie... you'll pay for betraying me.' she thought, glaring at a specific spot on the planet... Malak couldn't sense it, but he knew Revan had located exactly were Cassie was on Dantooine, and was aiming her glare straight at the foolish Padawan.

x x x

They found the system that contained the Star Forge. They could see the Star Forge itself from the outer rings of the system... it was beautiful. It was glittering silver metal, so large it could have been a small planet... or built around one, if you look at the spherical core of it. Even at this distance, Malak could feel the darkness emanating from it. Purest power... when that droid told Revan the Star Forge was 'a machine of invincible might, a tool of unstoppable conquest', it wasn't exaggerating. Ultimate power... and it beckoned to him.

"Wait here with the rest of the fleet, Admiral." Revan ordered, "Malak and I shall go to the Star Forge ourselves."

"Yes, Revan." the Admiral said obediently.

Revan beckoned to Malak, and made her way to the shuttle bay.

The shuttle trip was much shorter than they expected, however. As they passed through the orbital path of the fourth planet from the star, the shuttle decided to throw a hissy-fit. It pitched at an odd angle, and its main engines failed.

"What the hell?!" Revan yelled.

Malak, who was at the engineering readouts, was pretty stunned, "This shouldn't be happening. All power systems have been totally fried! Unless we can find a planet to crash on, we'll end up falling into the star... if our life-support systems don't fail before that."

Revan rolled her eyes, "Are manual controls available?"

"Yes."

"Aim for the fourth planet."

Malak took the controls, and tried to wrestle the shuttle in the vague direction of the fourth planet. To call it a bumpy ride would be a great understatement. The angle they hit the atmosphere at was too steep, and the shuttle started falling to pieces, bits of the hull sheared off by the intense heat. They only survived by the small mercy that the cockpit was reinforced to withstand just such a horrendous attempt at a landing... it was the only intact part of the ship left. And it landed in the ocean.

Revan was thrown out of her seat, as they landed, and a piece of what once was a control panel left a nasty gash on her mask. Malak didn't even want to contemplate what might have happened if she hadn't been wearing it... it would probably have gouged out her eye. The remains of the shuttle started to sink.

Revan slowly picked herself up and looked around, "Nice landing, Malak." she hissed, one hand moving to her side, the other to her face.

Malak clutched his right arm to his chest. It hurt like hell, and there was blood on the controls, which appeared to have come from his arm.

He tried to use the Force to heal his wound, but it wouldn't cooperate. He could feel the Force, he just... couldn't heal himself. He frowned, "It's not like I deliberately intended to crash into the ocean." he muttered. He looked out the window, and saw the rising water level, "We should get out of here." he noted.

Revan looked up, "Crap."

"My thoughts exactly." Malak noted. He decided it might be a good idea to rescue the medical supplies, as well... and maybe some food rations, if they could carry them. Revan stumbled to the exit, which was already half underwater, and opened it, allowing the salty water to rush into the shuttle, bringing it down faster. Revan scrambled out onto the top of the shuttle, and reached a hand in to help Malak out.

Malak accepted the offered hand, holding the supplies he had managed to scavenge in his probably-broken right arm, and felt the Force wrap around him, pulling him up onto the roof of the shuttle. It was still sinking, though. "There's land over in that direction." Revan said, pointing. Malak looked in that direction, and saw that the land wasn't too far away. About half a mile.

"How do you propose we get there?" Malak asked flatly.

"Well..." Revan looked down, as their feet were beginning to be lapped by the waves. "It looks like we're going to have to swim for it, don't you think?"

Malak scowled at the water, "Yes... it looks like our only choice."

Revan took off her mask, and threw it in the direction of the shore, using the Force to keep it in the air until it actually reached the beach. "What else do we want to save and not get wet?" she asked.

"I scavenged a few supplies from the ship." Malak hurled the bag of medical supplies and food rations towards the shore, and Revan used the Force to make sure it landed right next to her mask.

They were now knee-deep in the ocean. Revan shed her cloak and robe, leaving her wearing only trousers, boots and her undershirt. She even took off the gloves she usually wore. Her skin was pale, like she hadn't seen sunlight in years... she had a few faint veiny lines on her face, which was probably a typical trait of darkness... and her eyes were that golden colour he had seen them briefly turn on Deralia.

Malak took off the armour shoulder plates he wore, and dropped them in the water. Revan stepped to the edge of the shuttle, and glanced over her shoulder at him, "Race you to the supplies." and with that, she dived into the water, and started swimming for the shore. Malak dived in after her.

x x x

Revan made it to the shore first, but Malak was hot on her heels. She was a few feet from their supplies, when he caught her by the waist, and wrestled her to the ground.

"Hey! No fair!" Revan protested, struggling playfully. If she'd really wanted to throw him off her, she was more than capable of it. She squirmed underneath him for a moment, and he grinned, enjoying the game. But then she froze, scowled, and actually did push him off her. "Ewww!"

"What?" Malak asked, picking himself up to his feet and brushing sand off his clothes.

"I've got sand in my hair." Revan explained, sitting up and trying to comb her hair out. Malak laughed - for a second, he'd thought she had been offended by something he'd done. "Let's get off the beach." Revan suggested, "There are certain places sand should never get, and my hair is only one of them."

Malak raised an eyebrow at her, and she smirked. She picked up her mask, and clipped it to her belt next to the lightsaber on her right hip. Malak automatically checked his own lightsaber hadn't fallen off in the water, and was relieved to find it still attached to his belt.

Revan looked at the bag of supplies Malak had rescued from the ship, then glanced up at him, "Why did you bother bringing medpacs?"

"I tried to heal my arm, on the ship. It didn't work." Malak answered honestly.

Revan looked at his arm, her expression looked more calculating than anything else, "Hmmm... then perhaps you should tend to it." she handed him a medpac.

He frowned at the medpac, for a second. He had taken the medical training at the Jedi Temple - all Guardian class Jedi were taught field medicine, exactly how to use antidotes and kolto... but Malak had never used them on himself before - he had always used the Force to heal his own injuries. He didn't quite understand why he hadn't been able to heal the relatively minor wound on his arm.

He opened the medpac, and injected the kolto shot into his arm, next to the cut. It would take a while for it to heal properly, but the injection was all it needed, really. Revan then shoved the bag of supplies at him, effectively an order for him to carry it - she never carried heavy objects, when Malak was around to be chivalrous. He took the bag, and followed her as she walked up the path to the less sandy ground there.

They walked along the line between the beach and the grassland. Revan's reasoning being, if they could find the mouth of a river, they could follow it upstream to find fresh water. Her primary reason for this being the desire to wash the sand out of her hair... though drinking water would be high on the list of reasons for finding fresh water, washing her hair seemed to be of greater importance to Revan.

Malak followed her silently, as they headed around the island's shore, the ocean to their left. He was still puzzling over why he could not use the Force to heal himself. The last time he had really used the Force to heal had been to prolong Rangar's suffering. That hadn't been particularly long ago - a couple of months at most.

"The compassionate elements of the Force dislike being abused, Malak." came Revan's soft voice, intruding on his thoughts.

"What do you mean?" Malak asked her.

"If you misuse the powers designed for mercy and kindness, you will be denied them. Oddly enough, the darker powers do not refuse to be used for kinder purposes." Revan looked at him intently, "Proof, if ever we needed it, that the dark side is more flexible, more powerful. Greater. Better."

Malak's lip twitched, "I suppose so." he agreed.

"And you can sense, even from the outskirts of the system, that the Star Forge is a source of dark energy." Revan added, conversationally.

"Yes..." Malak said, now warily.

"Well..." Revan stopped and turned to face him, "Don't you think I already knew that?"

"You're saying you're deliberately seeking out a tool of the dark side?" Malak asked. Somehow, he wasn't surprised... he probably should have been, but he wasn't.

"Yes." Revan smirked, "I knew from the moment we found the map on Kashyyyk. The conversation I had with the hologram there was most enlightening. The Star Forge is a source of great dark power. And we can use it to do whatever we want." the excitement in her tone seemed... inappropriate. She sounded like a small child being told she would be getting the birthday present she'd always wanted. Her face looked almost scary, but this glee was so childlike... the contrast was unsettling.

He might have asked her what she planned to do with the Star Forge - the unnecessary glee with which she had said 'whatever we want' did beg the question - but he was interrupted by a primitive wooden arrow suddenly appearing in Revan's chest. The source of said arrow was a bizarre looking alien, with its eyes on stalks on either side of its face... it looked very much like the aliens depicted in the Kashyyyk hologram and the Dantooine ruins. It held a primitive crossbow, now reloaded and aimed at Malak.

Malak threw a bolt of lightening at it, killing it instantly. Revan crumpled to the ground, and he knelt next to her. "Revan." he said urgently, clutching her hand. This sort of wound was fatal without Force healing, and he knew it.

"It hurts." she whispered, gripping his hand tightly.

"It's going to hurt a lot more in a second." Malak muttered, "If I remove the arrow, you're going to have to use the Force to heal yourself. Can you do that?"

She nodded weakly, still gripping his hand with all her strength. Malak used the Force to snap off the feathering from the tail of the arrow, then he gripped it by the bloodied end just below the tip, and pulled it out of Revan's chest.

He felt a sudden icy chill run up his arm, and the hand Revan held went numb. The chill ran right through his body, and he started shaking. When he recovered, Revan's wound had vanished, and she was sitting up, watching him intently. "Thank you." she said quietly.

"What did you just do?" Malak asked. He felt weak, like he'd just run a mile, and while he had stopped shaking he was still catching his breath.

"I cannot use the healing elements of the Force... just as you cannot." Revan said quietly, "There are darker powers which steal energy from other living things to regenerate and heal wounds, however."

"You could have warned me." Malak muttered.

"I wasn't sure you would agree to let me do it." she answered.

"It was either that or let you die. I would have been more than willing to let you do... whatever it was, exactly, that you did to me... but you should have told me." Malak hissed angrily.

Revan sighed, "An error in judgement. I was mortally wounded, can you blame me for acting rashly?" she asked.

Malak looked at the ground. He really couldn't blame her. "You're right." he whispered. He was still tired, but it wasn't as bad now. It wasn't like she had done him any permanent harm.

Malak picked himself up, and offered Revan his hand to help her stand. She accepted it, and smiled at him, "I would never try to hurt you, Malak."

"I know." he answered, smiling back.

"Let's go find some water, now..." Revan suggested, still holding his hand. She led him along the edge of the beach, and he followed her willingly.

x x x

Unfortunately, it wasn't long until they came across more of those aliens. This time, however, Revan was ready for them, and used the Force to catch the arrows in midair. She levitated them to her hand, and snapped each one in half, making a dramatic show of it for the aliens.

The aliens responded to this by charging at them with swords. Some of them even wielded double-bladed swords, which showed some degree of skill in swordsmanship, to be able to use such a weapon without accidental self-decapitation. Revan drew her crimson lightsaber, and held it defensively, as the aliens charged down the slope.

Malak drew his own lightsaber... the blue colour contrasted sharply with Revan's red 'saber, but he really didn't need to be distracted by that sort of thought right now.

Revan grabbed the nearest alien, with the Force, around its throat, lifting it off the ground, and throwing it back towards the other aliens. She then conjured a whirlwind in the sand, blinding the aliens. She threw her lightsaber into the fray, and they heard gurgling death-cries from within the sandstorm.

When Revan caught her lightsaber again, and the sandstorm cleared, there were three aliens left. Malak leapt with the Force into the middle of the small group, and lashed out with his lightsaber. He cut down two of the aliens, but the third dodged his blade, and made a run for it. Malak tried to stop it, but it disappeared behind a rock formation before he could catch up.

"Leave it." Revan said, walking slowly over to the dead bodies of the aliens. She knelt, and examined the bodies, "They're primitives. They're not worth the effort to hunt them down." she then stood up, giving the corpses a look of distain, and continued walking along the shore.

Malak took the time to look in the direction the surviving alien had gone, one last time. It had seemed terrified, and he couldn't blame it really... but they did attack first, so it shouldn't be so surprised that some of their would-be victims eventually fought back. Still, he was certain they hadn't seen the last of those aliens.

"They look like Rakata." Revan said. This drew his attention to the fact that she was a fair distance away and still walking.

Malak jogged to catch up. "What are Rakata?" he asked.

"The alien form on the hologram on Kashyyyk." Revan said calmly, "They have some basic physical deviations from the hologram, but that can be attributed to evolution... they're probably the same species."

Malak nodded, "Are the Rakata the Builders?"

"More accurately, the Builders were Rakata... a small cult of their species, the overlords of their kind." Revan corrected, "But these Rakata certainly don't look up to anything involving high technology, don't you think?"

"I'd put nothing past a species I don't understand." Malak muttered.

Revan smirked, "Too true, Malak. But at the very least, they are Force-blind. The Builders wielded the elements... translated into modern terms, they were Force users."

"Wait a second... you're effectively saying the Builders were the Sith of their era."

"Something akin to that... but with very different technology and codes of conduct." Revan explained, "The only genuine similarity was that both ruled through fear and power."

Malak shrugged. He really didn't want to have this conversation right now. Had he known all this before Dantooine, he might have listened to Cassie... now, however, he was willing to follow Revan anyway. He knew approximately why she wanted the Star Forge, and he didn't see a reason to stop her... he found the offer of that much power just as alluring as she did.

Soon, they found themselves surrounded by yet more of these aliens. "They're like bounty hunters." Revan muttered, "First one takes a shot at you... then a small group... now a small army."

Malak eyed the Rakata warily, "They're not attacking."

"I noticed... otherwise they'd all be dead." Revan replied calmly.

One of the Rakata stepped forward, and spoke in its alien language, addressing both of them equally.

Revan scowled, "I don't understand them." she said, "The language has evolved a great deal... it could take me hours to relearn it."

"There's a chance they still understand some of the ancient language..." Malak noted.

"A vague chance." Revan said, "No human can speak the archaic language of pre-industrial Coruscant... I doubt this species would know their own linguistic roots... but it is worth a try." She spoke a few words in the ancient Rakatan language. The Rakata looked at each other for a minute, before the one who seemed to be the leader of the group shook its head and said something else.

Revan groaned, "I think that means they don't understand me." she muttered.

"The fact they're trying to communicate is, at least, promising." Malak noted.

"I suppose it is." she conceded, "As there is life on the island, perhaps we can ask for their help... it will likely take me a while to learn to communicate properly, however."

The lead alien beckoned for Revan and Malak to follow it, and started walking along the beach. The other Rakata still surrounded them, and Malak got the feeling they wouldn't be allowed to leave peacefully, unless they followed the Rakata wherever they were headed.

"You're probably right, Malak." Revan told him calmly. She followed the lead Rakata, keeping her entire demeanour free from all signs of hostility. Malak followed her. This was not at all what he had expected when he had learned what the Star Forge was, and he would be happy just to get off this primitive world.

x x x

The leader of the Rakatan tribe gave off an aura of power... Force-blind, but strong in other ways. It seemed to have the same charismatic power over its followers that Revan could exert so naturally over those whose help she wanted. It was clear instantly that this one was the leader of its tribe.

It greeted them, but Revan sighed, "I get the feeling that wasn't a simple 'hello'." she muttered to Malak.

"Why?" Malak asked.

"Because... one words seems not to have changed in all the millennia... 'murder'."

"Crap."

"I don't have time to learn the new language." Revan said flatly. She stepped forward, to stand directly in front of the leader of the Rakata tribe, and held up her right hand towards him, "May I?" she asked, projecting the question as an emotion - a simple query for permission to touch the Rakata leader.

It nodded, and Revan touched the side of its face. She closed her eyes, and locked Malak out of her mind. Whatever she was doing, it seemed to be causing some pain to the Rakata leader... but her frown indicated it wasn't exactly comfortable for her either.

After a few minutes, she stepped back, lowering her hand, "Can you understand me now?" she asked.

The Rakatan leader stared at her, awed, then spoke in its language. Revan smiled, and slipped into the Rakatan language as if she had always known it. Malak sulked, and tried to pretend that he didn't care what they were talking about. He really hated when Revan did this. It made him feel such a fool, that he didn't understand what she was saying.

It took hours before Revan finally finished her conversation with the Rakatan leader. During which time, Malak had found somewhere to sit, and might have considered falling asleep if he hadn't been in a potentially hostile encampment. When Revan finally did finish her conversation, she bowed to the Rakatan leader, and then grabbed Malak by the collar and muttered, "Come on, we can leave now."

The second they were outside, Malak asked, "What was all that about?"

"The Rakatan leader is known as The One." Revan said flatly, "Which is really fun when you're calling him by name, to his face... I mean, what do you call him? Your Oneness?"

Malak sniggered, "Cute. But that cannot be all you talked about."

"Actually, I carefully didn't mention it... but I thought you might find it amusing." Revan said blithely, "The conversation circled around the fact they're bloody terrified of us. We 'murdered' some of their greatest warriors, apparently. And in their culture, this isn't something to scorn, but rather something to revere. They wanted our help. One of the other tribes on the island has been causing trouble for them, and they want said tribe 'eliminated'. They told me there is some sort of 'mystic field' around this world, which can be brought down within their sacred temple. They can get us into the temple, if we can acquire some ancient document from the other tribe."

"Sounds awfully complicated to me." Malak muttered.

"I agree." Revan said flatly, "It seems a lot of trouble to kill a whole tribe for a book. I think perhaps I should try to reason with this other tribe... ask to borrow the book, myself."

"If that's possible... it would be simpler." Malak agreed. He suddenly realised they were crossing through the main grassland of the island, instead of going around the beach. "Do you know where we're going?"

"The One said that the other tribe is across the plain from them." Revan said flatly.

Malak shrugged, and looked up at the slightly turquoise sky overhead. The star of this system was high in the sky, and a glitter of silver, like one of the stars of the night sky visible during the day, shone next to it. He couldn't really look directly at it, as it was so close to the star itself, but he could sense the dark power from it, even as it sparkled so brightly.

"It's just waiting for us." Revan said quietly, "All we have to do is get off this rock, and go to it."

"How do you keep doing that?" Malak asked bluntly.

"Doing what?" she asked innocently.

"Reading my mind."

"I could always tell approximately what you were thinking... reading your face was never difficult, really, Malak." Revan explained, smirking, "But with our connection, our Force bond, everything you think I can... well, hear isn't really the right word, is it?"

Malak sniggered, "Probably not."

"Every surface thought that passes through your mind... unless you consciously block me from it, I can sense it. Although, when you intentionally project your thoughts, they are much clearer." she smiled at him, "I know everything you think, Malak."

"Then why don't I know everything you think?" he asked immediately, "You can block your thoughts from me, and you do so often."

"You can block me any time you wish, as well, Malak." she said blithely.

"But I have no desire to." he said pointedly, "Why would you block me? What have you to hide? I thought that a lovers bond was designed to be shared between two who had no need for secrets."

Revan smirked, "That is its purpose. I only hide certain things from you because I don't think you would like to know them."

"Such as."

"You don't want to know."

"I'm asking, aren't I?"

She stopped walking, and turned to face him, "All right. You really want to know?" she asked. The coldness in her tone made it deadly serious... she genuinely thought he wouldn't like what she had been hiding from him. Malak nodded warily. Revan closed her eyes, and dropped her mental barriers. She consciously projected what she had previously been hiding. As the torrent of emotions washed over him, Malak closed his eyes, too.

Righteous anger, so justified and true... pain turned it into bitter hatred, vicious loathing of the Mandalorians. She froze her heart, to let her go on, after Genie's death... almost emotionless, but not in the way a Jedi should be... heartless, hateful, vengeful. Venom and loathing her only feelings for a time, the only thing sustaining her until the duel... the duel she had won, and now... empty. She needed a purpose, something to give her the belief she was making a difference. Killing Mandalore only eliminated one enemy, but there would always be more. The Star Forge was ultimate power... with it, she could rule the galaxy, and no one could ever hurt her again. She needed it.

Malak opened his eyes slowly, and looked at Revan with some degree of fear. He had never felt hatred like that before, and it terrified him. "Revan... why do you need it?"

"It... it calls to me... beckons me. And I don't want to resist it." she said quietly. She sighed, and then turned sharply on her heel, heading across the field. Malak followed her... he was beginning to think maybe Cassie had been right... but he wouldn't let Revan know he thought that... they did need to get off this world, whatever way you looked at it, and trying to argue with the only person here who could translate the local language was a Really Bad Idea.

x x x 


	11. Surrender

Falling For You

Author's Notes: Short but intense chapter. It was said in the game that "Malak grudgingly assumed the role of apprentice" - it was not said why it was grudgingly so. Incidentally, I broke my right knee (totally by accident) a few months ago, and felt like giving one of my characters similar pain ::insert evil maniacal cackling here:: yes, I'm cruel and sadistic... just you wait till after the Jaw Incident... mwahahahahahaaaa! Chocolate products for whomsoever can tell me the quote taken from the Angel TV series, that I've given to Revan.

Very few reviews, this time ::sniff sniff:: ... my readers, I love each and every one of you... please review, so I know you're still out there... pretty please? If you don't, HK-47 WILL find you... I promise.  
Kosiah: ::gives you milk chocolate:: yes, that's part of Cassie's mythical roots, so you get a prize for it. Thank you - I'm glad you liked it.  
snackfiend101: ::Force Trips you... then gives you Toblerone:: no need to be snide - that's Derrin's job!  
Cantankerous 84: Actually, Cassie has a whole plot-bunny I never got a chance to write, which makes her probably more Juhani's type than Malak's... it was a more interesting bunny than it sounds, though - want details, email/IM me. Thanks for the nit-picking... my beta shoulda spotted that one.  
Dark Lord Daishi: Yes, darker. Hopefully my darkest yet. And yes, Cassie will suffer.  
Libythese: I don't know how far this fic is going to go - either the betrayal, or Malak's death... or, an alternate ending, depending on my mood.  
Darth Arachne: ::gives you chocolate:: you are correct. Seers have a habit of knowing what's coming... I'm still miffed that no one's figured out where I stole Sam from yet, though. HK shall make its debut in chapter 13 (my lucky number.  
F-15 Eaglestrike: Unexpected? Thank you (it's a good thing that I surprised you), but why didn't you expect them? Arachne's review give the best answer to the Cassie question, though.  
RollingSkull: Thanks. Cassie will be back (meatbag... sorry, couldn't resist - I really wish I could make HK say "hasta la vista, meatbags") - though, she won't last long once she does reappear. Yes, Revan does have Malak well trained, indeed. And in this chapter, Malak shall fall (on his ass), to the Dark Side completely. That language-scene was evil... just not so much when compared to the rest of this fic :p Firera: Let me show you how bad an idea it is to argue with Revan, my friend... read on.

"It's a difficult choice to make,  
It's a dangerous chance to take,  
And with every touch you stake,  
Comes a radical new awakening,  
To everything,  
You thought you'd never taste,  
Spin the wheel, turn your love around,  
Get down, down on your knees,  
And show me that you're not afraid to lose,  
Cold cold steel melts into the ground,  
At the sound, of you making peace,  
You're telling me you're ready to choose"  
-Bellefire, Spin The Wheel.

x x x

Chapter 11 - Surrender

The other tribe, who Revan informed him were called the Elder Tribe, were very helpful, though Malak had no clue what she said to them to make them help her... he did know she lied to them, through misrepresentation of the truth rather than outright lying, several times... her emotions through their Force-bond gave that much away. But regardless of how she convinced them, they agreed to give Revan and Malak access to the sacred temple.

In which Revan spent the better part of a day interrogating the alien computer in the catacombs, much to Malak's boredom and irritation. Then they deactivated the so-called 'mystic field' - a disruption generator, designed to mess with any ship systems that weren't specifically equipped with the appropriate technology - around the planet. Revan even managed to mess with the ancient Rakatan communications systems, and hailed the Defiant, getting them to send another shuttle, piloted by one of the fleet's Jedi.

The shuttle turned out to be piloted by Matt, who then followed Revan's instructions, and flew them to the Star Forge.

The second Malak set foot on the Star Forge, he gasped in stunned amazement at the sheer power and beauty of it, and dropped to one knee, in reverence. Revan, who had stepped onto the Star Forge a second before him, took another moment to fully sense its presence, before whispering, "I'm just going to..." she fell to her knees, staring at something Malak couldn't see, "...do this."

Matt stumbled, as he stepped off the shuttle, also falling to his knees. "It's... amazing." he said, awed.

"So beautiful." Revan whispered.

"Feels like a dream." Malak said quietly.

Matt managed to stand again, though he was still just as entranced as the other two were. Revan spared a fleeting glance for Matt, before ordering, "Go back to the fleet, and tell them to move in closer to the Star Forge. But to stay outside the orbit of the first planet from the star." her tone was calm, flat, and totally emotionless... but Malak could feel the waves of emotions from her, mostly awe and adoration for the Star Forge, tempered very slightly with... no, not fear... he wasn't sure what it was; it wasn't fear, but it was something similar.

Matt nodded dumbly, and returned to the shuttle.

Revan slowly picked herself up to her feet, still staring in awe at something Malak couldn't quite see. He was just as enamoured with the Star Forge, but Revan seemed to see something more in it than he did. "We need to find the control centre." she said quietly, "I want to see what this beauty can do."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Malak said, also standing, albeit a little shakily. There was a charge in the air, here... it caused a tingling sensation over what skin was exposed to it, and made him want to tap into the power of this place even more.

Revan led the way through twisting walkways and corridors, as if she knew the place... as if she'd been there before. 'No, Malak... I have never even seen this place before... but it is guiding me to where I need to be to use it.'

'And you trust the guidance of something you do not know? What if it leads you into a death-trap?'

'It won't.' she answered confidently.

'How do you know?' Malak persisted.

'I just know.'

After several minutes, they came to a vast room lined with hundreds of consoles and control panels. Somehow, in the back of his mind, he knew this was the command centre. The main control room for the entire Star Forge.

"It's spectacular, isn't it?" Revan asked aloud.

Malak nodded, staring in awe at the sheer size of this place. It was phenomenal. He was just wondering exactly how such a vast station was built in the first place, when he noticed Revan had started pressing buttons on one of the consoles. "What are you doing?"

"Reawakening the Star Forge."

"How do you know which buttons to press?" Malak demanded, walking over to her, and looking at what to him appeared to be perfect gibberish.

"I learned the written language of the Builders from the hologram on Kashyyyk. It's how I operated the computer terminal on Dantooine." Revan said blithely, pressing several more buttons. A green light flashed. "See that?" Malak nodded, "It means it is now in standby mode, and this writing..." she traced what must be words on the screen with her index finger, "'Construction programs activated. Enter design specifics for starship production'."

Malak blinked at that, "How long does it take to make a ship?"

Revan typed something into the computer... then she frowned at the readout, "This can't be right... that's not physically possible, is it?" she double-checked, and her eyes widened, "Well we'll see if it's true soon enough, I guess... two hours to construct an interdictor class, based on the stats of the Defiant, which is what I entered here."

"Two hours?!" Malak said, stunned, 'But it takes over two years to build a ship like that in the Republic's best shipyards!'

'I know... that's why I'm reluctant to believe this.'

Revan continued to operate the console, explaining the meanings of every screen that came up, for Malak's benefit. This session lasted for several hours, during which Revan instructed the Star Forge to create one of pretty much everything in its vast repertoire of pre-programmed designs. There were eighteen pre-programmed droid classes, though there were also options Revan didn't use yet to enter your own specifics. Seventy-two different types of starships, ranging from massive capital ships right down to one-man fighter craft. Weapons of every conceivable design, and a few designs neither of them had ever heard of before, all cortosis bound, as per Revan's specific instructions, although none of the Star Forge's basic designs included this feature it seemed capable of adapting to its user's preferences. It was even capable of producing armour in any size, shape, colour, and design that anyone could ever want, but Revan decided not to mess with that just yet.

By the end of this, Malak could make out the basics of the written Rakatan language... although he was far from fluent in it, he may not be as fast a learner as Revan, but he was still a quick study when he put his mind to something. The problems he had with many of his classes at the Jedi Temple had been boredom and lack of interest, not any lack of intelligence. This language, he was interested in learning... just as he had been interested in learning advanced mathematics, at the Jedi Temple.

Eventually, Revan looked up. Malak could sense her reaching out through the Force, "The fleet has arrived... let's put on a show for them." She typed in the code Malak recognised as that for a small shuttlecraft, and something else he couldn't decipher, "I ordered it to produce the shuttle in question on the side of the Star Forge facing the fleet." she explained, "They'll see it built out of seemingly nothing... it'll take about twenty minutes, and then we can go to speak to the Admiral, after the show." She walked out of one of the doors of the command centre, and Malak followed her.

Malak smirked, "Cute, Revan. Really cute." he said, barely avoiding laughing when he pictured the look on the Admiral's face. This would be priceless.

"Yes... it is something I would pay to see... however, we will only see the aftermath of his shock." she said flatly.

"Do you have any idea just how disconcerting it is when you read my mind like that?" Malak asked her flatly.

"I have a fair idea." she said distantly, "You could read a lot more from me than you do... I'm amazed you never try."

Malak grit his teeth, "It's called respecting your privacy." he growled.

They had now reached another vast room, with windows showing a spectacular view of the nearby first planet of the system, and the Republic fleet gathered near said planet. Revan stopped in the middle of the room, and looked up at him, her eyes piercing, "If you have something you wish to keep from me, it shouldn't be too difficult for you to construct mental barriers to keep me out... and if you remember, you demanded to know what I had been hiding from you all this time, so don't you talk to me about respect for privacy, Malak!"

He cringed. An angry Revan was a dangerous thing at the best of times. 'I'm sorry.' he couldn't say it out loud, but he knew she heard him.

He wasn't looking at her, now... but he could still sense her eyes on him, practically boring holes in the side of his head, she was watching him so intently. "You are aware of my plans, are you not?"

He had tried not to think about it, but yes... he had a fair idea how she planned to use the Star Forge. She had thought that with the Star Forge she could rule the galaxy. "I think so. Though your reasoning is somewhat suspect."

"Why is that?"

"Why do you need to rule the galaxy? You only sought out this power to protect yourself from being hurt again. I don't see why you need to give the rest of the galaxy more than a second's notice."

She smiled, a dark smile that held no genuine mirth, "Because unless I can control everything, something that is not under my control is eventually going to show up to bite me in the ass."

"Lovely wording." Malak said flatly.

Revan's dark smile turned into a grin that looked more like a beast baring its teeth, "Of course, if I plan to conquer the galaxy, I need a banner to fight under. I loathe the Mandalorians as much as you do, and have no intention of claiming Mandalore's title, though I have every right to. And, much as I would love to use the Ancient Rakatan empire as that title, it is so long ago that it is forgotten - it would not strike fear into the hearts of those who oppose me."

"Revan... I don't like where your thoughts are going." Malak said in a tone that was half warning, half afraid.

"The Sith." she said, with practically no emotion behind it.

"You really can't do that." he said, taking one step back from her.

"Why not?" she demanded.

Malak just gave her a look that effectively said, 'duh', "Sith don't love."

He could literally sense her resolve flicker ever-so-slightly... but only for a fraction of a second, "If I take the title of Sith Lord, I can rewrite the rules."

"But why bother calling yourself a Sith?"

"I have believed in many Sith precepts, since I found those documents in Master Kendra's office." Revan explained, in the sort of tone you would use to tell a hyperactive two-year-old why they really are not allowed caffa, "The fact that so very few of their rules offend me is why I chose them over some other cults whose codes of conduct are much less appealing."

"I really don't like this idea." Malak said coldly.

"You don't mind that I want to take over the galaxy, but you do mind that I want to call myself a Sith?" she asked, in a too-sweet tone.

"Pretty much, yes."

Revan rolled her eyes, "You are such a coward, Malak! You're afraid to reach out and take the power that is just waiting for you, here. We can rule the galaxy side-by-side, nothing will stand in our way!"

Malak shook his head, "That's not entirely true, Revan." he drew his lightsaber, turning the power setting down, and then running his fingers along the blade - it sent pain shooting up his left arm, but didn't burn his hand... which meant if he managed to run her through with it, the sudden pain should knock her unconscious, but not kill her. "I stand in your way."

Revan stared at him for a minute, "You cannot be serious." she said, even though he knew that she could sense he was perfectly serious.

"Don't try to stall, Revan. You know perfectly well that I am not joking."

Her eyes narrowed, "What, exactly, did you have in mind?"

"A duel." he smirked slightly, "If I win, then you admit you have a problem, and come back with me to the Jedi."

Revan snorted at this, but then she spoke in a calm and measured tone, "And if I win..." she paused, to draw her own lightsaber, pointedly not turning the power down on it, "And you survive..." she added, that evil smirk reappearing on her face, "Then you will bow to me."

Malak glared at the crimson blade Revan held... he was suddenly unsure about this idea. What if Revan killed him? Would she do that? If she would, then she really could become a Sith... to be that uncaring about someone so close to her. Revan's eyes glittered cruelly, and she beckoned Malak to make the first move.

Cautiously, he began to circle her. She kept her Force senses on him, but didn't move from where she stood... didn't even turn to face him. She was that confident. He locked her out of his mind, before even deciding what way to attack her. Revan turned her head, so she could now see him out of the corner of her eye... not so easy to focus on me now, is it, angel?

He circled round behind her, and she turned her head sharply, to watch him from the other direction. He wasn't about to attack her from behind, though. He was no coward. So when he was once again face-to-face with her, he made his first move. A double-feint, left, right, then he thrust his lightsaber towards her stomach. She dodged to her left, and their blades clashed, giving off sparks. Revan smirked, "You'll have to do better than that."

Malak blinked. That was one of the more difficult moves he knew! Then he thought for a second, and he could have kicked himself for not realising sooner... Revan knew every move in the book, when it came to lightsaber duels. She had then proceeded to invent several moves of her own... but the point was that she would not be fooled by any tricks that they had learned from Master Quatra. The only way to have a chance of beating her, here, would be to throw the metaphorical 'book' out the airlock, and fight on instinct.

And he wasn't above cheating, either. A trick Revan had taught him, no less. Revan came at him with a flurry of blows that he barely blocked. If he hadn't blocked them, some of them could have been fatal. Malak kept his mind sealed from her... except one thought he deliberately projected to her. It was a mental picture of something quite obscene.

Revan spluttered indignantly - that thought certainly distracted her. Malak took the opportunity, aiming to run her through with his lightsaber. But Revan managed to evade him again. He didn't even see where she went. Then he heard the hum of a lightsaber behind him, and barely turned in time to block it. As their sabers locked, so did their eyes... Revan's eyes were cold, the golden colour sent chills down Malak's spine, and the wicked grin she wore was genuinely frightening.

"You can't win, Malak... just give up now." Revan hissed. Malak felt the Force in her words, but the mental barriers he had constructed to block her from reading his mind also blocked the full effect of this attack. When she realised that didn't work, she used the Force to throw him backwards.

He landed painfully on his backside, his lightsaber slipped, the blade passing through his right knee, sending searing pain through his whole leg... he was eternally grateful that he had lowered the power setting on the weapon in question, otherwise it would have severed his leg at that point... as it was, it just hurt like hell.

Malak shouted several choice expletives, including some highly impractical suggestions for alternative uses of a lightsaber. "Bloody hell, Revan!" he yelled, after the string of random obscenities had subsided, "What are you trying to do, kill me?!"

Revan tilted her head to one side, total dispassion and coldness in her eyes... he got the feeling that was exactly what she was trying to do. Malak had raised his lightsaber defensively, even though he couldn't stand due to the pain in his leg. He shook his head, and tried to back away as Revan approached him.

Slowly, ominously... it seemed to take forever, and not long enough, for her to cross the room to him, until she loomed over him, standing just to his right. With swift, deliberate precision she kicked his lightsaber out of his hand before he even saw her foot move. Now he was defenceless.

Her gaze ran over him, slowly... a cold and calculating expression on her face. "Does that hurt?" she asked innocently, her eyes on his knee.

"Yes." Malak growled, through gritted teeth.

Still not showing even a flicker of emotion, Revan raised her right foot, and brought it down hard on his injured knee. The sickening sound of bone snapping could be heard, a fraction of a second before Malak yelled in agony. The pain was excruciating, even worse than the pain caused by his low-power lightsaber. Burning, searing agony.

He was vaguely aware of yet more creative expletives tumbling from his mouth, but he wasn't sure exactly what he was saying, beyond the fact he was swearing profusely. His right hand instinctively clutched his knee, and he had to bite his tongue to silence himself, before slowly looking up at Revan... glaring at her. "What the hell did you do that for?!" he snarled.

Very suddenly, she ignited her lightsaber, and held the blade a couple of inches from his face, "You might want to consider speaking to me with a little more respect, Malak." she said coldly, "It certainly looks like I have won this fight, don't you think?"

Malak stared at the blade of her lightsaber, trying to pull away from the crimson light. But as he backed away, she moved the blade to keep it the same distance from him... now hovering near his throat. He closed his eyes, unable to keep his fear from showing... she could kill him so easily, if she wanted to. And he wasn't sure if she would or not... he had thought he had known her, but the Revan he knew would never have even tried to hurt him in the first place.

"Answer me, Malak." she said coldly, "Do you think I have won this fight?"

He slowly opened his eyes, and looked up at Revan. "Is it not obvious?" he asked quietly.

"So you concede defeat?" she asked, a twisted smirk appearing slowly on her face.

"Yes." Malak said, his focus returning to the lightsaber blade barely an inch from his face.

The blade vanished, as Revan deactivated the weapon. Malak breathed a sigh of relief, as he watched her casually clip her lightsaber to her belt. But that relief was short-lived, because, "Kneel before me."

He looked up at her sharply, in disbelief, like she'd just grown headtails and started dancing on the ceiling. "What?" he asked. Surely he'd misheard her. She broke his bloody kneecap - actually, the injury was so efficiently inflicted that there was no blood, no bruising, and no broken skin, but the swear-word was still more than justified - she knew he couldn't kneel, in this state. At least... not without causing him a great deal more pain... and he didn't think he could endure much more pain right now.

"You heard me perfectly clearly, Malak." Revan said coolly, "I am now your Master. You are my Apprentice. Now KNEEL!" The last word was snarled viciously, and projected into his mind as well, tearing down all his mental defences, and echoing inside his skull. He cringed, for a moment... then he considered that if she was this serious about becoming a Sith Lord, it would probably hurt him even more to disobey her order.

He bit his tongue, both to stop himself from saying anything that could make matters worse, and as a feeble attempt to distract him from the pain in his knee. Slowly, with a great deal of effort, and doing his best not to aggravate his injured knee, Malak sat upright. Then, he bent his left leg, pulling the foot underneath him... leaning forward, so he was now on one knee, his right hand held protectively over his broken knee. The pain of merely bending the knee this far was almost blinding. He wanted to scream... even cry... but he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of breaking him.

Beaten, yes... broken, never.

"On both knees." Revan said coldly.

'Sadistic witch.' he didn't have the mental strength, at this moment, to stop Revan from hearing that thought.

'You flatter me, Malak.' ... not the response he had expected. At all.

Still biting his tongue - and now tasting blood - Malak closed his eyes in anticipation of the pain this movement would cause. He slowly leaned further forward, onto his left hand. He lowered his right knee to the ground gingerly. He was being careful not to bend the knee any more than he could avoid, but even the slight movement in the joint was excruciating. Eventually, he set his broken right knee on the floor, putting all his weight on his left side. When he dared open his eyes, his vision was blurred by sparks of light behind his eyes.

Revan eyed him critically, her arms folded, and a glitter in those golden eyes that told him she was taking great glee in doing this to him. Somehow, the thought crossed Malak's mind - and thankfully Revan wasn't paying attention - that the mental picture of this scenario might be more appealing if Revan were wearing black leather, and holding a whip. He blinked several times, bowing his head so Revan couldn't see his expression, and he had to bite his lip so as not to smirk, in spite of his pain.

Good way to distract yourself from pain... just make sure Revan NEVER finds out about that thought... she would enjoy it far too much.

As he had been thinking this, Revan had slowly circled him, and now stood directly in front of him again. She rested her hand lightly on his right shoulder, and he looked up at her. The sweet smile she wore didn't reach her eyes. She leaned down to him, and kissed his lips lightly... but before he could react to this, she pulled back from the kiss, and with a vicious jolt, she threw all her weight onto his shoulder, pushing him down sharply onto his wounded knee.

He was too surprised to hold back his shriek of pain... but he did catch himself, with his right hand outstretched to the side instinctively, before he fell to the ground. Much that he might have tried to stop it if he had been able to think of anything but the pain, a whimper escaped his lips, as he tried to remember exactly how to breathe. Breathing is important, right? Though maybe I could do without oxygen, if I could just stop the pain. Please?

Revan watched with some degree of amusement and fascination, as he caught his breath. Then, slowly and deliberately, he pushed himself back into the kneeling position she had ordered him to. He raised his head, just as slowly, his jaw set in determination... defiance sparkled in his pale blue eyes. He would do as she ordered him, but damned if she could break his spirit like this.

Revan ran her fingers lightly over the tattoos on his skull, slowly tracing them down to the back of his head. Touching his mind, as she did so... looking for something. Then, after a moment she smirked evilly, and he felt her nails press into his skin, not deep enough to draw blood, but he did feel them. Then she pulled him sharply towards her - searing pain in his knee at the sudden movement - the next thing he knew, Revan's lips were pressed to his, but this was nothing like the way she usually kissed him... this was violent, possessive, and...

The memories of once being kissed like this before flew, unwelcome, into his mind. Memories he was forced by Revan's will to relive. Malak growled, a low sound in the back of his throat, and he mirrored the unwanted memory, biting Revan sharply. She pulled away from him, smirking cruelly... unlike the last person to try that, her lips were uninjured.

Malak glared at her, "You evil little bitch!" he stood, through sheer force of will - the pure agony in his knee didn't compare to the anger he felt, "You damned well did that on purpose!" flashes of lightening emanated from his fingertips, intended to strike Revan, as he held up his hands - a spectacular display, filling the room with deadly energy. But Revan stood calmly in the middle of the storm, unharmed by it, "You knew it would hurt me! You heartless uncaring sadistic... Sith." the last word was the only part of his rant that wasn't yelled at the top of his voice... it was practically whispered. The storm died, but his anger still seethed within him. There was no doubt in his mind, now, that Revan really was a Sith.

"Yes." she said quietly, "I am a Sith... and now, so are you."

Before he could argue, and without his permission, she pushed the image into his mind. Forced him to see through her eyes. To see what she saw in him. The darkness of his Force-aura had intensified, so strong it drowned out the faint flicker of light still within his soul. And he also saw his eyes, gleaming gold from anger, resentment, and deep hatred... not for Revan, but for what she had forced him to remember. He would have fallen completely, back then, if he had just been able to tap into the Force with the full strength of that anger.

"Y-yes." Malak whispered, "You are right." he bowed his head, silently praying that she would not order him to kneel again.

Revan smiled, and took a few steps towards him, so she was right in front of him. She touched his cheek gently, with the backs of her fingers, "Pain draws out anger... anger spawns and feeds hatred. Hatred is what a Sith lives and breathes, Malak. Let it empower you."

He nodded slowly. Anger came so easily to him now, that he wondered why he hadn't chosen this path sooner.

x x x

Malak had to walk - or rather, limp - all the way to the new shuttle waiting for them. Revan didn't offer to help him... but she didn't just walk off and leave him, either. She was watching him carefully, as if she was evaluating how he was coping with the aftermath of that... the term 'duel' really couldn't apply, because it was far too one-sided... but can you call it 'torture' if the victim is practically willing?

Revan did stop, on the way, to play with one of the other computer systems. Malak was not happy about this, but Revan was not to be swayed. She tinkered with the computers for some time, and eventually left the computer room, ordering Malak to stay put. When Revan returned, she wore black robes and a cloak not too dissimilar in appearance to those she had discarded when escaping their sinking shuttlecraft.

"How do I look?" she asked, turning around on the spot, causing the robes and cloak to swirl around her in a beautiful fluid movement.

Even if he didn't like the way she looked, he would never admit it to her... she was a Sith Lord, now, and he wasn't suicidal. "You look great." he said honestly.

"Thank you." she said, smiling... a dark and twisted smile, but Malak could tell it was genuine by the way her eyes glittered... nothing like the cruel glee she had shown when she had turned him, this was a smile that said she was honestly glad he approved. It surprised him.

Malak watched her as she carefully put on her mask... totally concealing her face, and making it impossible for anyone to read her... except him, she still let him sense her emotions, and for that he was grateful. Even after what she had done to him, he still loved her. She owned him, long before she dragged him down to the darkness with her, and she knew it.

"You can use this console to create customised clothing, enhanced with the Force, to strengthen you." Revan informed him, "But perhaps you should try that later... you may not be able to walk much further." he couldn't see her eyes, but he could feel her gaze on his knee. It would take one hell of a stretch of the imagination to call the emotions he could sense from her 'concern'... but she did want to see that his wound be healed, though for what reasoning, he couldn't tell.

"I would prefer that." Malak said flatly.

Revan nodded, and turned to leave the room. Malak could sense her attention on him, through the Force, as he followed her to the shuttle. She kept her pace slow enough for him to keep up, but didn't turn to show any sign of sympathy. It confused him... if she were truly hateful enough to be a Sith, would she not have simply left him to fend for himself, and if he came back to her alive then she would allow him to serve as her grovelling minion... she showed the faintest flicker of interest in his well-being, though hardly enough to consider it the love they had once shared. Unless...

'Yes, Malak... you're about right.'

His eyes narrowed, as he looked at her, 'You can't have both, you know.'

'Funny... you seem to have... you love me, yet you fell because I tortured you... seems pretty twisted, to me.'

'Try looking at it from my perspective.' Malak retorted. He didn't know why he loved her, only that he needed her... he couldn't explain it. But he did love her, and he had literally damned himself to be with her... and he wouldn't have done anything differently, if he had to do it over, either. Revan could sense this, easily enough... he had suggested she look at it from his perspective, and he had let her do so.

'Dangerous... for you, I mean.' she thought distantly, as if she were whispering it half to herself.

They had now reached the shuttle, and Malak was surprised to see that the control panels were all in Basic. Revan took the pilot's seat, while Malak allowed himself to collapse into one of the passenger seats. The pain in his leg had got to the point where he could either pass out, or... as he was doing, use the Force to effectively cut off all sensory input from the whole leg. It was effective at relieving the pain, but it also made him feel like his leg actually had been cut off... and it was an exhausting illusion to maintain.

It didn't look too bad, really. The lightsaber had cut the fabric of the clothing he wore, leaving his knee exposed. There was some obvious swelling around his kneecap, but there wasn't even a scratch on it to show for the damage. He frowned, examining the injury objectively, through the Force, without allowing himself to feel it... there wasn't even any bruising, just a clean break of the bone... even slight movement caused pain, but sitting still should be just about endurable. So he let go of the part of the Force that blocked the pain, deciding to save his energy for when he needed to move.

The pain wasn't so bad, when he calmed his mind, and focused his thoughts elsewhere. He almost managed to sink into a meditation trance... but there was something he sensed in the periphery of his Force senses, something so intense he was afraid to look at it... and that fear kept him from his meditation, and so kept him from fully sensing this 'something'. He assumed it was the Star Forge... with that much power in it, it didn't surprise him that it projected such a strong presence.

Before he knew it, they had reached the Defiant. Revan ordered him to the medical bay, while she went to speak with the Admiral.

x x x 


	12. Master

I apologise for the lateness of this chapter, but here is why: I uploaded my Slytherin Code of Conduct fanfic over two years ago, and last week I was sent an email by this site telling me I had been locked down for it. I admit that it was a list-format fic, but it was certainly not a "recent infraction" as both the email and the lockdown message stated - I had literally forgotten it existed, until I was clapped in irons and carted away from my upload button. There is no law against having a lousy memory - if there were, my father would be serving a life sentence! Please, oh mighty moderators of this site, if you read this, take that off my permanent record - it was an honest mistake, and I apologise grovellingly.  
Now, back to our regularly scheduled story...

Falling For You

Author's Notes: I had some difficulty thinking up what to put in this chapter... took me ages, I uploaded about four earlier chapters while I worked it out, I usually try to write one for every one I post. I had thought HK-47 would make its debut here, but I wasn't sure about anything else... funny how in the end I found enough to write here that HK got shunted into the next chapter, eh? There's a blatant Harry Potterism in this chapter, one that really annoys me: I used it here because it's on the SW databank not because of its Harry Potteryness... go find it if you want some chocolate.

Ozziegrl: Thanks. Glad you liked it.  
snackfiend101: Snide, snarky, whatever - still Derrin's job :p ... yes, sucks to be him, indeed.  
Dark Lord Daishi: Heh, glad you liked last chapter. No HK here... next chapter, though. Hey, you forgot to ask about Sam - he's the other Jedi who went with them, who you totally missed out of your list! And Cassie's still alive, I'll have you know - she's not the dead one - that title goes to a different Jedi, this chapter!  
Firera: Glad you liked. I was proud of myself for how I turned the two of them.  
RollingSkull: ::gives you a drool-catcher:: - glad you like to see me torture people - you'll be seeing plenty more of it, soon enough. I'm turning Malak into a masochist - that's why I had him think that... it's what I'd have thought in his position (after the profuse swearing, which I did make a point of getting over before he thought it :p .  
Rascarin: Thank you ::bows:: glad I portrayed her evil-bitchyness well.  
F-15 Eaglestrike: Yes, it is my intention. Problem is, Malak left it too late to get out, really... and now he has fallen, too, so he doesn't even want to turn back now. I broke my knee running down the stairs in pursuit of my cat, I slipped and hit the wall with my knee... hard. Much profuse swearing later, I spent a week in hospital only to end up with a cast and crutches - all better, now, though.  
Libythese: Actually, that didn't make him hate her - he still loves her - it just blurred that fine line between love and hate, quite a bit. He didn't give up that easily - he was defeated that easily - big difference... though you are right about why he surrendered when he was defeated.  
Erin aka Kiddo: Glad you liked it.  
Darth Arachne: Well, can you really call it torture when he was practically willing? As for the Jaw Incident, the end of this chapter leaves me with a dillema - how do I get more abusive and evil from here? Don't worry, I'm sure I'll figure something out. Sorry, you don't get to see the Admiral's reaction.  
Cantankerous 84: Hi, Tank. Heh, yeah, my knee twinged writing it, too (and I mean sympathy pain, not real). My own injury happened about 6 months ago - more details in F-15 Eaglestrike's review-response, above (couldn't be arsed typing it out again). It depends alot on personality type, too - a control-freak who's been raised to beat down her emotions is more likely to turn evil than a well-adjusted person - and even then, it took Genie being murdered right in front of her to make Revan snap... I think she resisted the DS pretty well, all things considered.  
HK-48: ::bows:: thank you. I love making people feel sympathy for the "bad-guys.  
ether-fanfic: thank you. Glad you liked it. Here's more, now.

"It won't be easy, you'll think it strange,  
When I try to explain how I feel,  
That I still need your love after all that I've done,  
You won't believe me,  
All you will see is a girl you once knew,  
Although she's dressed up to the nines,  
At sixes and sevens with you.  
I had to let it happen, I had to change,  
Couldn't stay all my life down at heel,  
Looking out of the window, staying out of the sun,  
So I chose freedom"  
-Madonna, Don't Cry For Me Argentina.

x x x

Chapter 12 - Master

When Malak eventually hobbled into the medbay, he promptly collapsed on the floor. Very few military vessels have medical staff, preferring medbots for efficiency and replacability, but the Defiant was one of the three lead ships of the fleet, so they had a physician as well as their usual medbot.

The medic rushed to his side, totally taken by surprise, "Jedi Malak? What happened?"

Malak slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. He couldn't walk, now... it would probably be physically impossible, until his knee was repaired. Must have looked pretty dramatic, collapsing into the medbay like that, though... and not the sort of dramatic entrance he would have liked, either. "Perhaps you shouldn't call me that, in future." he muttered, forcing himself to stand on his left leg, holding his right foot about an inch off the ground, "And it's really not that serious... just makes it difficult to walk."

The medic nodded, and helped Malak to the... he still thought it was a table, even if it was supposed to be a bed. Malak sat down on the table, putting his right leg up on it, out straight, so the medic could examine it. "How did this happen?"

"I got in a fight with the wrong person." Malak said bluntly, in a tone cold enough to make the medic decide it would be safer not to question any further.

After a few minutes, Malak was given an injection, which included kolto, and some other drugs. Malak wasn't particularly fond of this form of healing, but he didn't say anything - it was better than nothing. The pain completely disappeared, almost instantly, and also gave Malak a slightly surreal feeling, like he wasn't all there. "You should get some rest. When you wake up, the kolto should have done its job."

Malak nodded slightly... he wasn't really focusing on what the medic had said. He probably couldn't have forced himself to stay awake, even if he'd wanted to. There must have been some sort of sedative in with the kolto and pain relief.

x x x

He woke up to the last thing he wanted to see. Sitting on a chair next to the... it's a table, damnit!... was Derrin, staring intently at Malak, with the sort of vacant look of the mentally challenged and downright insane. But he could tell that Derrin was actually watching him, in spite of the fact his eyes were unfocused. This Padawan was just asking to be punched in the face.

Malak sat up slowly, with the intent of doing just that. He noticed, with relief, that his leg was healed. He hadn't been able to straighten it under its own power, before, but now he could... there was no pain, either, which was also a good thing.

"Good morning." Derrin cheered.

Malak looked at the chronometer on the wall, "It's 1900 hours." he said flatly.

"Yeah... but it's morning somewhere... and the view of the sunrise over the first planet, from the mess hall window, is pretty damned cool." Derrin replied cheerfully. Far too cheerfully.

"You're annoying me."

"So?"

"So... stop it, or you will regret it." Malak growled.

"What're you gonna do?" Derrin asked, grinning, "You've never really hurt anyone that wasn't a Mandalorian, before."

"There's a first time for everything, Derrin." Malak slowly turned to glare at the Zabrak, who cringed at the pure venom in that glare, "And you've been asking to be beaten to a bloody pulp for some time, now."

"Actually, I was asking to be punched in the face... and we did that at Manaan." Derrin replied... he clearly was trying to use his feeble sense of humour to lighten the ominous atmosphere. It didn't work.

"How about an encore?" Malak growled.

"No thanks. Really, that's not necessary."

Malak's glare intensified, and he focused through Derrin's eyes into his mind, finding his greatest fear - ironically enough, considering why Malak was even in the medbay, this fear was of paralysis, inability to move or do anything, even worse if something was approaching ominously with malicious intent - and bringing it to life inside his mind. Derrin screamed, and backed away from Malak, his hands covering his face, but he couldn't block the vision out.

Malak then raised his hand, holding it up towards Derrin, using the Force to lift him off the ground by the throat... not gripping enough to stop him breathing, though. Nice fear, Derrin... better than an illusion, let's try this... he let go of Derrin's throat, and used the Force to freeze him in place, in a sort of stasis field. Derrin's eyes were the only part of his body still able to move, and they now darted wildly, terrified.

"You really should learn not to piss people off, Derrin." Malak said, in a far too conversational tone, "One of these days, it might get you killed. Maybe even today."

The waves of fear radiating from Derrin were almost tangible... probably even visible to anyone with Force sight. Malak smirked, and slowly wandered over to one of the tables lining the wall of the medbay. He had considered, the last time he had been in here, that some of the instruments lying around could make good torture devices... he was going to test this theory, now.

'Leave it.' Revan's voice chided in his mind. Malak glared at thin air... he hadn't even got to look at the various potential torture instruments... did she really have to spoil his fun? 'Yes, I do have to. While I know you loathe Derrin, perhaps you could bring yourself to let me deal with him?'

'Depends what you plan to do to him...' Malak thought, turning to glare at the Zabrak... he had wanted to torture this moronic fool for years, why was Revan trying to stop him, now?

'I wish to give all the... ahem, Jedi... who joined us in the Mandalorian war a chance to join us now. I doubt they will all accept, but if they refuse, then they will suffer. If you are so keen on tormenting Derrin, then just hope he refuses.'

'Right... thanks.' Malak thought irritably, before waving his hand, releasing Derrin from the Force bindings, "It's your lucky day, horn-face." he growled, "I think Revan wants to talk to you."

Derrin stared at Malak, with genuine fear, for a moment, "Wh-why did you just do that?" he asked.

"Because it was fun." Malak said coldly, "I've always wanted to teach you a lesson, you horn-brained little brat."

"Aww, come on... give me a break!" Derrin whined.

Malak eyed Derrin in a very calculating way, "How many 'breaks' do you want?"

"Um..."

"Because there are only so many bones in the Zabrak body, and you've said that phrase often enough to account for all of them twice over."

Derrin blinked a few times, and stared at Malak, "You're scaring me, now."

"Good... now get gone before I give you a real reason to be frightened." Malak snarled, "Revan wants to see you, and I would advise against keeping her waiting."

Derrin quickly departed from the medbay.

With his injury mended, Malak decided it would probably be best if he made an appearance at Revan's side... after all, if he was supposed to be a Sith, now, he didn't want to show weakness. Even though Revan knew all his weaknesses, and exactly how to exploit them, already. So Malak followed Derrin up to the briefing lounge on the docking level, where Revan waited for them.

x x x

"The Admiral has wisely conceded the fleet to me." Revan announced. The large briefing room was filled with the entire Jedi population of the fleet. There were at least a hundred Jedi in the room... at least. It was far more impressive than the seven they had begun with, though Malak had never seen them all in one place before, so he had never realised quite how many had leapt at the glory of following Revan into the Mandalorian wars.

How many would follow her into the abyss, now?

"I am your new commander." she continued, somehow managing to dominate the room, even though she was far from being the tallest person there, "I have chosen to take a stand against the corrupt and stale rule of the Galactic Republic. The Senate have abused their power for too long. If you will stand with me, we can take control from them, and rule the galaxy ourselves."

Murmurs of confusion and interest rippled through the room, and one Jedi spoke up, "Why would you want to do that?" he asked. He couldn't have been older than eighteen, a fresh-faced Padawan, strong in the Force, but even stronger was his radiating, innocent sense of optimism and hope. That such naiveté survived the war is a miracle, really.

Revan looked at the young man, "Because the Republic is a stagnant and decrepit institution, who only maintain power by brainwashing the children of its members into believing that their way is right, and every other way is wrong. The Jedi Masters do the same!"

"The Jedi Masters do no such thing!" the same young man who had talked back before snapped.

Revan's eyes narrowed under her mask, and Malak saw her clench and unclench her fist at her side, controlling the seething anger within her. It was fascinating to watch, actually... all that power and darkness, it should have overwhelmed her, but she could rein in the beast within her when she chose to... amazing. "The Jedi take us as children, separating us from our families, and teaching us to believe that only their way is right." she hissed coldly, "How could you describe such treatment as right?"

Sam stepped forward, giving Revan an icy look that would make Hoth look warm, "Emotional bonds can cloud judgement, and even lead to the dark side, that is why they are discouraged!" he said, clearly but without anger, "The Jedi Masters are not so malicious as you are making them sound!"

"You only believe that because it is what the Jedi Masters have told you all your life." Revan said, just as coldly, but with venom simmering under the ice.

Sam stared at her for a second, before answering that, "Well, I suppose you can forget about the fear of falling to the dark side... you've clearly fallen long ago!" the only emotion he showed was distain... but there was fear there, too, though well hidden. When Revan's only response to this was an icy stare, which somehow managed to be portrayed through the seemingly-eyeless mask, Sam backed up a few steps, "You have, haven't you?" he asked, his fear now evident in his tone.

"The dark side offers far more than the Jedi Masters would ever have us believe!" Revan said, while it was barely above a whisper, it did have the emphasis to make an impact that anyone else might not have been able to achieve even with screaming.

Malak probably shouldn't have been surprised that so many of the Jedi in the room were actually considering what Revan had to say. She always had been a very persuasive talker, and he had often theorised that she could even talk credits out of a Hutt if she felt so inclined. Only Sam, and a very small group who had quickly moved to cluster behind him, seemed to have doubts. "The dark side offers power, we all know that, Revan." Sam said quietly, "But power corrupts. Makes you lose sight of the difference between good and evil."

"There is no good and evil, only power... and those too weak to seek it." Revan hissed it return.

Sam shook his head slowly, and glanced around him, looking for a possible escape route. Then he frowned for a second, before coming to a decision. He threw a stasis field at Revan, which she took only a second to throw off... but it gave him the time he needed to turn and run, headed for the docking bay.

Malak followed him, and caught up to him a few feet from what appeared to be Sam's goal - one of the long-range shuttles, it would be able to make it to the nearest Republic system, if Sam could get to it - and he got between Sam and the shuttle.

"Malak, I don't want to fight you." the Padawan said warily... clearly he wasn't stupid, knowing when to run rather than fight. But he didn't really have anywhere to run now that Malak stood in his way.

"Then perhaps you should surrender." Malak said, smirking coldly.

"If there's one thing we've all learned from this war, it's that surrendering isn't going to get us anywhere good, with enemies as vicious as the Mandalorians... or the Sith."

Malak barely avoided wincing at the comparison... though it was probably accurate. "Have it your way." he replied blithely. If this man was fool enough to try to fight him, it would be his own stupid fault when he got killed... Malak did offer to let him surrender. Too late now, though... he drew his lightsaber - now red, when did that happen? - and tauntingly beckoned for Sam to make the first move.

Sam frowned, not really wanting to make the first move in such a fight. He didn't want to fight his friend... that was how he still saw Malak, it was obvious by the pained look in his eyes. Malak quickly got bored waiting, and lunged at Sam, before the Padawan had even drawn his lightsaber.

The Jedi drew his weapon so fast you'd swear it magically appeared in his hand, and he blocked Malak's attack. Red and gold blades clashed, for a moment, before Sam had to back up. Malak's superior strength could overwhelm almost anyone who relied on brute force in their fighting styles, and Sam hadn't accounted for that... if he had, he might have dodged rather than trying to win in a test of physical power.

Sam then closed his eyes, facing Malak, and beckoned him to make the next move. Malak wasn't about to give up an invitation like that in a hurry... he attacked. A powerful strike that should have cleaved the foolish Padawan in half, had it made contact... but Sam dodged, and the weight Malak had thrown behind his attack in order to breach any defence Sam might have put up, threw him off-balance.

Malak lost concentration on anything else, while he focused on not falling on his face. Sam used this opportunity to throw a wave of Force energy at him, sending him flying across the docking bay. Sam was now free to bolt onto the long-range shuttle, and leave the Defiant.

"Damn it!" Malak snarled out loud, 'He got away.' he informed Revan, through their bond. He then stood up, and watched the departing shuttle through the atmospheric shield that separated the docking bay from open space.

'Not for long.' Revan replied, in his mind. As Malak watched Sam's shuttle prepare to leap into hyperspace, he sensed a build-up of energy in its engines, as if the fuel coolant line had been blocked. The sense gave the mental impression - in spite of the inability of sound to travel in a vacuum - of a high-pitched whine building up to mind-splitting levels, until suddenly, the entire shuttle exploded in a brief flare of energy... there was no way Sam could have survived. Not even a miracle and the Force could conspire to save him from that fiery death.

'What just happened?'

'I overloaded his engine. Same trick I liked to use on the Mandalorian warbirds... more devastating to small shuttles than larger vessels, too.' Revan replied, amusement clear in her mind.

Malak locked off his mind from her, and watched the dissipating debris from the shuttlecraft Sam had stolen. He knew he should feel some sort of regret for the death of the Padawan... but he felt nothing. Sam was older than Malak, by a few years, and he may not have been a Jedi Knight, but his foresight abilities made up for the so-called shortcomings that had prevented him from becoming a Jedi Knight. If only he hadn't tried to argue... a Seer would have been useful, especially since Cassie had abandoned them.

"Weird, that." Malak looked up to see Derrin hovering in the doorway, also watching the shuttle-dust floating away from the ship. The Zabrak seemed perfectly relaxed, considering he was now talking to someone who had tried to kill him less than an hour ago... and would have succeeded if it weren't for Revan, too.

"What do you mean?" Malak growled.

"The two Seers bail on us." Derrin said flatly, "What's that say about what we're doing?"

"That they don't understand what Revan is trying to do."

"Or that they understand it too well..." Derrin suggested. At Malak's glare, he quickly held his hands up, "I'm not arguing with either you or Revan. I'm with the both of you one hundred percent. I'm not stupid enough to pick a fight with you... not a real fight, anyway."

"I wish you would. Revan won't let me kill you without some provocation."

"So I've been told. That's why I'm not trying to provoke you."

"Breathing could be counted as 'provocation', Derrin."

The Zabrak laughed nervously... it might have been funny to him if Malak hadn't been serious, "All right, I'll leave you alone, then. I just thought it was odd, Sam and Cassie both doing that, is all."

"It just proves the inferiority of the Jedi Sentinel class." Malak said flatly.

"Heh, I always believed that was the case..." Derrin said, his tone weak... like he wasn't so sure about that belief, now.

"Get lost, unless you want to lose a limb." Malak said flatly. Derrin made himself scarce, and Malak found himself wishing the Zabrak had given him another excuse to torture and mutilate him.

x x x

That evening, when Malak thought he might actually get to escape to his private quarters for the night... Revan caught him before he could disappear. "Malak..." her voice was much softer than it had been the last few times she had spoken to him... she almost sounded like her old self again.

He found himself smiling, in spite of the fact he knew he should be terrified of her, as he turned to face her, "Yes, Revan?" he asked.

"Firstly, I am now Lord Revan." she said, in a tone that sounded almost dismissive... almost. Malak wasn't fool enough to miss the total lack of humour in her words... she was still serious about it. "Secondly... perhaps you would like to come with me..." she turned and walked down the corridor... projecting a thought to him, a faint insinuation of a double-entendre there.

He wasn't sure it would be a good idea to refuse her. Even if he hadn't liked the sound of her offer - which really he did - he was afraid of what she might do if he refused her.

She stopped the instant he so much as thought that, however, and whirled around to face him, "I did not mean that as an order." she said quickly. The hurt in her tone... she seemed deeply offended that he could even think such a thing, "Only an offer."

"I... I'm sorry, Revan." he said quietly, "But after your display on the Star Forge, I really didn't know what to expect from you."

She eyed him carefully for a moment, "There are many things I may force you to do... but that is not one of them." she turned sharply, and continued walking down the corridor.

Malak frowned for a second, but then followed her. It really did take a lot to convince him to do anything against her wishes... and an offer like that almost made up for all the pain she caused him on the Star Forge.

When they reached Revan's private chambers, there was something different about them. Malak had been here many times, almost always for the same reason as he was here now. He hadn't been invited to Revan's private rooms in the last few weeks, however (mostly because she had chosen much less private locations, such as various shuttlecraft, or the Rakatan beaches, instead)... and in that time it had changed drastically.

The decor - not that Malak had ever cared about such things, but Revan was obviously much more discerning about aesthetics - was a great deal darker. Just as neat and ordered as always, but something in the air felt just as dark as the furnishings looked. The thing that probably would have worried Malak if he hadn't already chosen the darker path was that this didn't scare him. He knew it should have.

As soon as the door closed behind him, he heard the lock click. He glanced behind him. That was just creepy... Revan was several feet further into the room, but he knew perfectly well that she was the one who had locked the door.

Theoretically, he really shouldn't be so afraid of a woman nine months younger than him, almost two feet shorter than him, and just slightly over half his weight. But he was. Utterly terrified of her. She could have killed him with a look, if she wanted to... and he knew it.

"Don't be so pessimistic, Malak." Revan said quietly, her back to him, "I would never truly want to."

"Have I told you how much I hate when you read my thoughts like that?" he muttered.

Revan smirked, and turned to face him. "Once or twice." she said snidely. She had removed her mask, and he could see her face now. She slowly pushed back the hood of her cloak, and took a couple of slow steps towards him, "But your mind is like an open book. It would take so little effort to read it even without our bond. It almost feels like I'm hearing my own thoughts, when we are connected in this way."

Malak bowed his head slightly, afraid to look her in the eye, "Then why can I only read what thoughts you project to me?"

"Don't be afraid, Malak." she said softly. Then she flinched slightly at the wave of anger those words evoked in him, because she had again responded to his thoughts as if they were spoken aloud, "You never were the best at telepathic skills." she said softly, "I can teach you how to understand my mind better, but I cannot teach you an ability your mind was never designed to use."

"And yet your delicate body picked up the skills of heavy vibroblades within weeks." Malak snarled.

"My mind learned the skills... there is a difference. I have always been a quick study." Revan said calmly, "I admit, I am not suited to heavy blades. The amount of kolto I took after each of our training sessions... and after the duel itself... it's not even funny."

Malak looked up at her, mouth agape in horror, "You could have done yourself serious injury, training and fighting like that!" he snapped, "To call that dangerous would be like saying mooning a werekath is bad for your health!"

Revan chuckled darkly, "I know. But I was determined to achieve a difficult goal... and at that stage, I could no longer use the Force to heal myself."

A brief and incoherent thought involving athletes and stims flitted through Malak's mind, as he shook his head in utter disbelief that this woman could be so bloody reckless. Then after a moment, he managed to contain his anger... he was angry at her for being so irreverent of her own well-being... there's no way to take that sort of anger out on anyone or anything rationally. There was a more interesting way to relieve the stress this woman could cause in him, though.

"Oh, I like the way your mind works, Malak." Revan said, grinning, "And that is why you are here, after all."

Malak smirked slightly, "I'll admit, sometimes I like it when you read my mind."

Revan's eyes lit up... almost literally, "All right, then. I want to play."

"Should I be afraid?" Malak asked warily.

"At least act it... but I won't hurt you... much." with a wave of her hand, Malak was sent flying across the room. He landed on the bed, quite violently, and quickly sat up, staring at Revan with a gizka-in-headlights look.

Revan smirked evilly as she approached the bed slowly. She loomed over him in a very ominous way. Malak swallowed, more than a little nervous. He couldn't read her intentions well enough to know what she was planning to do to him... besides the obvious, that is. She leaned over him, and kissed his lips lightly, "I'm going to make you scream, Malak." she whispered.

If she'd said it any time before they found the Star Forge, he would have liked the sound of that. But this time... hearing those words seemed more like hearing a threat.

'How observant of you, lover.'

Now he really was scared. Revan feigned an innocent expression, which couldn't fool a blind tach. Then she reached a hand to his chest, and started systematically shredding the clothing he wore. "Revan." he said, almost a whining tone, "Is that a Sith thing?"

She laughed evilly, "No, I just thought it would be fun. Any other Sith women try tearing up your clothing again, and I'll deal with them as we did Stheno and her sisters."

"I figured as much." Malak muttered, watching what she was doing. It didn't take her long to remove all his clothing... in very small pieces (with the exception of the armour plate, which was the only thing she really couldn't shred). He was actually afraid to try to touch her. The last Sith woman to try shredding his clothing had utterly freaked out when he tried to reciprocate.

'Don't be afraid of that.' Revan replied, 'Just don't damage the robes.' After a second, she added, 'You should be afraid, if you compare me to that blonde harlot ever again, however.'

Malak rolled his eyes, and reached up to unfasten her robes carefully. Very carefully.

Malak gasped when he felt Revan sink her fingernails into his shoulders... he wouldn't be surprised if she had drawn blood. He bit his lip, and looked at her, confused. Her only response was to sink her nails that little bit deeper, before leaning over and kissing him again. Slowly moving to kiss... and bite... his neck, Revan sat astride him, dragging her nails down to his chest.

'If this is just the foreplay, you really are going to make me scream.' Malak thought, deliberately trying to force his breathing to slow down to a normal rate.

He could feel her lips curl into a dark smirk, against his throat, and she sank her teeth in sharply, making him yelp in surprise. At this point he actually tried to push her off him, but she didn't move - she used the Force to resist his physical attempt to fight her off, "Revan... what are you doing?"

"You chose to enter my chambers of your own free will... knowing damned well what I wanted from you." she said coldly.

"I didn't know you were going to try to maul me!" he snarled.

"Too bad." Revan said cheerfully, "You can't stop me from 'mauling' you, as you put it. And you consented to other activities simply by being here."

Malak sighed. He was sure he wouldn't like this... but she did have a point. He couldn't back out of it now.

x x x

He woke up to find Revan lying on top of him, her arms wrapped possessively around him, her head resting on his chest. She looked so serene and peaceful like this... it didn't seem right, when he could sense the powerful darkness emanating from her. He sighed, and ran his fingers through her hair gently. That had certainly been an... interesting experience.

Revan's eyes slowly flickered open and she looked up at him, "Did you enjoy it?"

"Yes." he answered honestly. He probably shouldn't have enjoyed it... it certainly had been very violent, and his whole body ached with exhaustion. His left shoulder still hurt, and he couldn't quite remember exactly what she did to it.

"I broke it. You might want to go to the medbay." Revan said blithely.

"Am I going to start spending a lot of time in that place, in the future?"

"Probably."

"Is there some sort of regular-customer discount?" he asked snidely.

"No." Revan answered, smirking as she looked up at him, "For a start, you don't pay for your treatments there. Secondly, we're neither in Hutt Space, nor a Czerka facility... and did you see any Squibs in the medbay? No you didn't. Therefore we're not in a financially obsessed scenario."

"I was making a joke, damnit!" Malak snapped.

"I know." Revan replied, still smirking. She shifted her position slightly, not taking her eyes off him, "Do you think I've made the right choice?"

"Finding the Star Forge, turning to the Dark Side, betraying the Jedi and the Republic?" Malak asked. It was a rhetorical question - he knew what she was thinking well enough to know he was right. "Yes, I think you did. I was a fool not to see it, before."

Revan's dark smirk turned into a genuine smile, and she reached a hand up to trail her fingers down the side of his face, "I'm glad you did see sense, Malak." she whispered, "I didn't want to kill you in that fight... but if you hadn't realised I was right, I wouldn't have had a choice."

Malak closed his eyes at her light touch, savouring the sensation of her cool fingertips on his skin. Her words cut him much more deeply than any blade could have done, however. "Would you really have killed me?"

"I didn't want to." she said quietly, "I'm glad you made the right choice."

Malak sighed, "I'm not a big fan of broken bones, Revan."

"Learn to like it." she said coldly, poking the injured shoulder with her index finger.

Malak bit back his yelp of pain so it only came out as a low hiss, "Are you going to make a habit of that, angel?"

Revan sank her nails into his shoulder when he said that, "Don't... call me that." she growled.

Malak didn't flinch, this time... he looked her in the eyes, and asked, "Why not?"

"I'm not an angel." she said, a cruel smirk forming on her lips, "I'm probably the exact opposite, now. And you should call me 'Master'."

Malak closed his eyes, letting himself feel the physical pain for a moment. The psychological pain of that order was too much, right now. So he didn't let himself feel it... yet. Instead, he sighed slightly, and answered almost mechanically, "Yes... Master."

x x x


	13. Plotting

Falling For You

Author's Notes: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! 13 is my lucky number... and here we meet HK-47. That little interlude last chapter wouldn't have happened if I hadn't broken my collarbone at a Hallowe'en party... three nights of parties, I broke it dancing at 4am Sunday morning, and on the Sunday night I was up and dancing again. Go figure... some things, you like them enough that you go back even when they hurt you ::pointed look at Malak:: my shoulder still hurts a bit, but not enough to stop me writing! In fact, it's what killed my writer's block! As for chocolate awards, tell me where I "borrowed" the language concept from (here's a hint: the crossover potential for its spinoff is astounding! I'm playing along with that idea).

Rascarin: It wasn't a quote. The quote was something I first used in ch9, and an unintentional red-herring. The correct answer was the mention of Squibs, which are apparently a race in Star Wars, but are also a group in HP. And believe me, I'm trying to be more evil - I'm really trying!  
Dark Lord Daishi: Glad you enjoyed it. I am very into the concept of sado-masochism, so I greatly enjoyed writing about the "distractions" there. And if I could break my collarbone dancing, Malak can break his shoulder "doing that" :p Cantankerous 84: HK-47 is in this chapter. And my theory is that HK can speak Sandpeople not for any programming Revan added, but because it was one of the languages of the slaves to the Builders... I mean, the Sandpeople were once slaves to the Builders, so Star Forge droids would automatically be able to communicate with them. Never apologise for long reviews, Tank - I love long reviews.  
snackfiend101: Ahem, which HP reference did you spot? Because one of them was a red-herring :p Prisoner 24601: ::drools at long review:: Saul isn't the Admiral... yet. Actually, being DS isn't what stopped them using their healing powers - it was abusing those powers that did it - there is a slight difference. Glad you liked ch11 - I was pleased with the points you brought up there, too. I also enjoyed beating up Derrin, however, he cannot be killed off (much that Malak may wish it), for two reasons, one of which is that he provides much-needed comedy in an otherwise uber-dark fanfic.  
Firera: Yeah, Cassie's in deep Bantha poo-doo now, isn't she?  
Darth Arachne: Yes, and I enjoyed making him suffer, mwahaha! Jedi Sentinels are underrated, really. Heeeere's HK ::cackles and points to the chapter below:  
F-15 Eaglestrike: No, see what I said to Rascarin ::points to the top of the review-responses list:: Actually, there is a chance of a KotOR2 fic from me, but you'll have to wait till I've got the game and played it a few times - I don't get it till Feb 11th. Derrin isn't going to be killed off any time soon, though... in fact, he shall survive Revan's rule as Sith Lord entirely (that, I know for certain.  
RollingSkull: Thank you, Skull, darling, you flatter me. Yes, the term "unhealthy relationship" is kind of an understatement, actually... though if you remember what happened to me at Halloween, and I was only dancing :p - Derrin lives for a reason, though, so much as some would like me to kill him off (Malak among them), I can't... yet.

"Oh, send me off to war,  
In a far away land,  
I never knew existed.  
Subjected me to,  
All the horror and pain,  
Until my mind is twisted.  
And what if I fail?  
Will you put me in jail,  
For a murder I will not commit?  
'Cause you don't understand,  
'Till there's blood on your hands,  
That it's time to forget and forgive.And those who return,  
Come back only to learn,  
That they're hated by those who they loved.  
'Cause you're not satisfied,  
'Til there's thousands who've die,  
And your anger is paid for in blood"  
-Johnny Hates Jazz, I Don't Wanna Be A Hero.

x x x

Chapter 13 - Plotting

Finding clothing that day would have been much more difficult than it had been on Korriban. He was lucky Revan was in a generous mood... she went to the Star Forge and came back with what she called 'customised armour' for him. It was a full-body-suit made of red leather... if he weren't bloody terrified of the woman now, he'd have refused the 'gift'. But he wasn't keen on running around the Defiant naked, to get back to his own quarters... and he was even less keen on starting an argument with her, after their last duel.

x x x

Over the next few weeks, Revan played with the Star Forge, creating vast numbers of ships, and manning them mostly with droids she also manufactured using the Star Forge. Malak made a point of learning the Rakatan language during this time. He wanted to be able to make his own toys with the Star Forge, without asking Revan's permission like some frightened schoolboy asking the teacher if he can go to the bathroom.

The language was actually fairly easy to learn, once he put his mind to it. It was mathematically based, which suited Malak's skills nicely. A language based on atomic structure, numerical processes, and simple algorithms. A language any half-decent mathematician or scientist could decipher given a few months. Once he realised that, he didn't even need to ask Revan for translations any more. Simple logic translated for him.

Malak then started exploring the station himself, while Revan continued to mass-produce warships. None of the lowly soldiers were allowed on the Star Forge, and only a few ex-Jedi accompanied Revan. Malak could easily get away with exploring the deserted decks alone, since Revan could always tell where he was if she chose to check up on him. He hated being watched that closely, and was grateful for the privacy supplied by the greater distance between them.

He was on one of the lower decks, near the processing plants of the Star Forge, when he found... what looked like an ancient droid. A coppery-crimson colour, like all the droids this station produced. Warily, he approached it. It looked like a standard service droid, really. "/Activate./" he said, in Rakatan - the standard keyword to bring the droids to life.

It rose from its slumped position, and looked up at Malak, "/I am service and repair droid number eighty-four. Assigned to lower level maintenance. How may I serve?/" the insectoid droid - SR-84 - asked, in what was probably a Rakatan equivalent of the camp voice most protocol and service droids seem to use.

Malak sneered at it - he never did like droids in general, and Star Forge droids seemed to annoy him even more than most. "/What can you tell me of the Star Forge?/" he asked the droid flatly.

"/The Star Forge is the glory of the Builders, the apex of their infinite empire. It is a machine of invincible might, a tool of unstoppable conquest./" the droid quoted.

"/So I've heard./" Malak said coldly. If there was a single droid this station built that didn't spew that line, he'd be very surprised. "/I mean of the functions of the Star Forge. You are a maintenance droid serving here, you must know something./"

"/Affirmative./" the droid answered.

"/So tell me how this cursed thing works./" Malak growled, getting irritated by the droid already... he really did not like Star Forge droids.

"/The Star Forge is powered mainly by an artificial point singularity-/" the droid began, but Malak interrupted.

"What the hell?!" He didn't know any swearwords in Rakatan... yet. He made a mental note to learn to curse in Rakatan... multilingual obscenities were a hobby of his. "/A point singularity?/" he asked, horrified - the Star Forge uses a bloody black hole for its power source?! That's not good, no matter how nicely you word it! "/How does the station not collapse or blow up?/"

"/The singularity was created, is maintained, and is controlled, using the elemental power the Star Forge draws upon./" translation: the Force, "/The Star Forge draws physical matter from the star below to build its creations, but its main fuel sources are the singularity and the elemental powers./"

"/How do you define these elemental powers?/" Malak asked, "/There are many aspects to the elements, which ones are you specifically referring to?/"

"/It was calculated by the Builders that more power could be drawn from elemental forces focused around anger, ambition, and passion. These are the elements harnessed most prominently by the Star Forge, however any elements available are used. Compassion and love also proved to be strong sources, but were scarce among the Builders, so are not given preference./"

"/We refer to the elements as the Force./" Malak informed the droid, "/And tell me... how does it harness the Force for a fuel-source?/"

"/This unit is unaware of the specifics, only of the fact that that is what is done. This unit is only responsible for maintaining lower levels utilised for construction and repair of spacecraft and utilities./"

"Figures." Malak muttered sulkily. The one droid he finds on this bloody station, and it can't tell him anything beyond... how fucking dangerous it was to be sitting on this thing. A black hole, damn it! "/What would happen if the containment for the singularity were damaged?/"

"/That could only occur if the Star Forge was greatly damaged. Such damage would require total destruction of primary and secondary containment, main stabilisers, orbital alignment centres, and all thirteen failsafes. If this were to occur, the singularity would collapse upon itself causing a subspace disturbance that would, over the course of one orbit of the third planet, cause the star to nova./"

Thirteen failsafes? Overkill, much? But given the type of fire they're playing with, overkill is good.

'Malak, I've got a new toy. Come up to the viewing deck, would you?'

'Yes ma'am.' he thought sarcasm in the title he chose for her.

'Call me that out loud and I'll rip your tongue out.' Revan replied casually, 'Oh, interesting detail about the black hole. Nice to know.' there was some sarcasm there, but not much.

It seemed her genuine liking of the station and safety precautions used on the singularity outweighed her distaste for the idea of sitting on top of a bloody black hole. Malak's opinion leaned towards wanting to leave, and go sit at the far end of the galaxy as far away as possible from the black hole.

'Cute. Cowardly, but cute.' Revan interrupted his thoughts, 'Now get your ass up here... I want you to see my new toy... then maybe I could play with you, afterwards.'

He liked the sound of that. He told the droid to go back to whatever it was doing before he showed up. It deactivated. Useless pile of scrap metal. Malak really hated Star Forge droids. He turned and made his way quickly towards the viewing deck.

x x x

When he got to the viewing deck, he found Revan tinkering with... a droid. A humanoid one, this time. "What's this?" Malak asked, eyeing the droid suspiciously.

"It's my new toy." Revan answered cheerfully, "Its designation is HK-47."

"Dare I ask what its function is?" Malak asked coldly.

"Not what you're thinking." Revan chided, smirking, "HK-47 is a Hunter-Killer droid. An assassin."

"Who are you planning to kill? And why not do it yourself?" Malak asked flatly, "I'd kill them for you if you just didn't want to get your hands dirty." he added bluntly, frowning at the droid.

"I didn't have anyone specific in mind, actually." Revan said blithely, "But the HK class of droid, from the Star Forge databank, is equipped with powerful stealth technology and programming. Discretion is something you lack, and something I discarded when I became the Dark Lord."

Malak shrugged, "True, I suppose." doesn't mean he had to like this new droid.

"HK-47." Revan addressed the droid, "This is my Apprentice, Lord Malak."

Lord? Well, he did like the sound of that. Why call him it, though?

'Because, we are Sith Lords... you are my Apprentice, I am your Master... but you outrank everyone else besides me, so you are also a Lord.' Revan answered for him, amused. "Say hello, HK."

"Quotation: Hello, HK." the droid replied obediently.

Revan rolled her eyes, "HK-47, you know exactly what I meant, now greet my Apprentice in a civilised manner." she hissed.

"Statement: Greetings, lowly minion of the Master." HK-47 said, addressing Malak.

Malak's right eye twitched slightly, as he glared at the droid, "Hello, HK-47." he growled, in a clearly forced attempt at a polite tone.

"Query: Master, may I kill this one?"

"No, HK. You may not kill anyone unless I order you to do so." Revan said calmly. She then turned to Malak, smirking under that mask of hers, "Bloodthirsty, isn't it?"

"Very." Malak said, eyeing the droid with a slightly less disdainful glance. Bloodthirsty is good. Maybe this droid isn't so bad.

"I programmed it personally." Revan explained, "So its personality reflects mine. Although, it does have a distain for organic lifeforms that I can't seem to be able to remove... not that I want to, mind you. It makes it more efficient at killing things, if it believes organics to be inferior beings."

"Indeed." Malak said flatly, "What's with the 'lowly minion' remark, though?"

"Good point." Revan said, turning to HK-47, "HK... Malak is not a lowly minion. He is the most powerful and skilled of my... ahem, minions... so he most certainly is not 'lowly'."

Malak rolled his eyes at that. HK-47's eyes flashed red, and it looked at Malak, in an evaluating way, "Concession: As you wish, Master. Correction: Greetings, favourite minion of the Master."

"That's better, HK. Malak is definitely my favourite."

"It's still calling me a minion."

"That's what you are, isn't it?" Revan asked flatly, "I like the word minion, it's why that word ended up in HK's programming. Although, you'd think it'd have a healthy respect for its creator... but I'm organic, so it has this... attitude problem."

"Objection: I am making every effort to behave in an appropriately subservient manner, Master!" the droid all-but whined.

"Objecting to a statement made by your Master is hardly 'appropriately subservient'." Malak muttered.

"My thoughts exactly, Malak." Revan smirked slightly, "And you're lucky you're my favourite, because speaking out of turn also comes under the category of irreverent to your Master. Most of my minions would be in a great deal of pain for that. But I like you."

Malak smirked slightly, "Thank you. I guess."

"HK, let's have a demonstration of your skills." Revan said calmly, "There is a young Jedi man in the holding cells on the Leviathan. Observe." she brought up an image on the viewscreen. The young man who had talked back to her, before Sam made his last stand. "I shall release him, and you shall track him down. Apply non-lethal force - this is merely a demonstration for Malak and myself to see your abilities, it is not a real mission. I shall repeat for emphasis - don't kill him, merely incapacitate him."

"Acknowledgement: As you command, Master." the droid said, seemingly disappointed at not being allowed to kill its target.

"Go now." she said, pressing a button to remotely open the cell the young Jedi was held in. He glanced around warily, then stepped out of the cell. He seemed not to believe his luck, but then he left the holding area pretty quickly. HK-47 departed the viewing deck.

"You don't want the young man dead?" Malak asked, surprised.

"He promised that he would join me. This is as much a test for him as it is for HK. If he tries to flee, I shall know he was insincere. If he seeks out one of my lieutenants to inform them of the 'power glitch' in the holding area, then he was honest in his promise to join me." Revan smirked as she turned to face Malak, "The boy was merely spouting the crap that the Jedi had taught him... I have made him see sense, now, and I am sure he will pass the test. The question is, will he pass before HK finds him? An interesting little game, I thought."

"Very interesting." Malak agreed, also smirking.

"And non-lethal methods should be quite the test for my little homicidal mechanoid." Revan said. She took several steps towards Malak, so she was right in front of him, looking up at him, "Meanwhile, however, we have some time to ourselves..."

"I wanted to ask you something." Malak said. He was well aware of what Revan was implying, but he really did need to ask this, "How do we know the Republic soldiers who serve Admiral Zordoc will also serve us loyally?"

"We don't." Revan said flatly, "Though Zordoc has pledged allegiance to us. We shall have to test them."

"What sort of test?" Malak asked her. She was so close to him, he could feel her body-heat, imagined he could feel her breasts brush against his chest. He moved his hands up to her shoulders, and gently pulled her towards him, so she leaned against him.

"The bloody sort. I'll think of the details later." she murmured.

Revan turned her face to her right, and reaching her right hand up to remove her mask, which she clipped to her belt as she had done when they had landed on the Rakatan world. She tilted her head back, and stood up onto the tips of her toes, as Malak leaned down to kiss her.

At that exact moment, a fraction of a second before their lips met, the commlink on Revan's wrist chirped loudly. She growled, and stepped back from Malak, quickly hitting the audio only button on her commlink, "What do you want?" she snapped.

"Declaration: I have completed the assignment, Master." HK-47's metallic voice replied, almost cheerfully, "The subject is incapacitated."

Revan blinked several times, and looked up at Malak, "That was quick..." he muttered.

Revan nodded slowly, in agreement, before speaking into her commlink, "Where is he?"

"Answer: Unconscious on the floor." HK-47 replied, "Current location, Leviathan prison deck."

"Damn." Revan muttered, "That droid is... efficient."

"I'll say." Malak said, staring at the commlink on Revan's wrist, slightly stunned by the droid's efficiency. Revan was staring blankly, though Malak could sense her mind whirling, trying to think what to do now, "Perhaps we could send the boy to the medical bay, and see what he does when he wakes?"

"Good idea, Malak." Revan said, smiling, "I had thought the droid would have taken longer than that."

"Hell, even with the Force to make me run faster, I don't think I'd have made it to the Leviathan docking level that quickly, never mind the prison deck." Malak said bluntly.

"Indeed." Revan agreed. She then spoke into her commlink again, "HK, take the 'subject' to the medical wing of the Leviathan. Leave him there, in the doctor's care. Do not kill anything. Return here as soon as you have done that."

"Acknowledgement: As you command, Master." HK-47 replied. The commlink then deactivated. Malak would swear that droid sounded dejected and resigned. Probably because it was given the order not to kill anything. It seemed keen to kill things.

"Yes... I must let it kill something soon. I want to see how it performs in a real scenario." Revan said quietly.

Disconcerting, much? Malak really did not like when she read his thoughts like that.

"Too bad." Revan said blithely. Malak frowned at her, for a moment, but he stopped scowling when Revan took a step towards him, "Now... where were we?" she asked, leaning against him, and looking up at him, smirking.

Malak smiled, and leaned down to kiss Revan, holding her against him by the waist, so she couldn't pull away from him this time. Not that she tried, anyway. She returned the kiss eagerly. He could sense her Force awareness, scanning the room and deciding that one of the ramps up to the upper level of the viewing deck was the nearest 'appropriate location', as her thoughts put it.

'Can't you wait to get back to the Defiant?' Malak asked her, amused. He held her in place, when she tried to pull him towards the ramp. Then pulled away from the kiss, and smirked at her.

"No, I can't wait." she said flatly.

She grabbed him by the front collar of his cloak, and dragged him, using the Force to push him from behind, towards the ramp in question. She spun him round, and pushed him down onto the ramp. Malak didn't put up any resistance, beyond some almost playful mock-struggling, which was utterly belied by the grin on his face, as Revan pinned his wrists to the metal-grilled floor. She leaned over him, and kissed him hungrily.

Malak tried to free his hands, with the intention of rolling over on top of Revan. He didn't want to be pinned down on the uncomfortable floor. He didn't mind her being on top when they were on a comfortable bed, but the grating on this floor was cutting into his back already.

But Revan wouldn't let go of him. She was using the Force to hold him down. After a few seconds, he shrugged, and stopped trying to struggle, still grinning as Revan started to fumble with his clothing. In Malak's mind, this was the major drawback of these clothes - they were a bloody nightmare to put on and take off. Revan was beginning to realise this, now.

She appeared to be ready to lose her temper and start tearing Malak's clothes to pieces, when the door hissed open just in time. Revan froze, and reached her Force-senses out towards the door. Malak looked up, to see who was there. HK-47 stood in the doorway.

"Statement: Mission completed, Master. Awaiting further instructions." the droid reported, before entering the chamber, and moving to stand innocuously in a corner.

Revan sat up, scowling in the droid's direction, "Maybe I can wait, after all." she muttered in a sulky tone, "I don't want to play with that thing watching me."

"My sentiments precisely." Malak muttered, gratefully sitting up, and gently pushing Revan off him, so he was no longer in contact with the incredibly uncomfortable floor.

Revan stood about as gracefully as possible, considering the position she had been in moments ago, and brushed her hair back out of her face, "Weren't we discussing tests for our new minions' loyalty, before we... got distracted?" she asked flatly, shooting an irritable glance at the droid... though Malak could sense her restraint from blasting it into scrap metal was only due to its potential usefulness.

"Yes... I think we were." Malak said, scowling at the droid. It was just sitting in the corner, looking harmless. He would like nothing better than to just ignore it, and return to what they had been doing a moment ago... but the way that droid stared at him, like it was evaluating the best way to kill him, sent that idea out the airlock.

"I was thinking..." Revan shot one more glance at the droid, then took Malak by the elbow and shoved him towards the door. He took the hint and started walking in that direction. Revan replaced her mask, and followed him. As soon as they were out of the droid's hearing range, she resumed speaking, "...we only need to test the captains. The lower ranking minions are easy enough to turn, but the captains hold power over their own ships, and need to prove to me that they're not going to turn those ships on me at their first opportunity."

"And how do you plan to test them?" Malak asked. Revan was walking briskly along one of the walkways towards the docking level of the Star Forge. Malak kept pace with her, half a step behind her, to her right.

Revan simply smirked darkly, and replaced her mask, "I have an idea."

x x x

Malak never did find out exactly how Revan tested the fleet captains. He knew she summoned them to her office, one at a time. He also knew that, while many seemed perfectly fine when they left, several were shaking like they'd just seen their worst nightmares realised. And a very small number of them - probably four or five in all - never came out at all... the rumour was that screams of agony were heard from within Revan's office, when the unfortunate soldiers who failed Revan's test were there. Malak had never personally witnessed any of it, however, so he couldn't be certain.

x x x

Their first port of call, when they set out from the Star Forge, was what Revan called a 'diplomatic mission' to Korriban. Three hundred of the Star Forge's best Warbird class cruisers surrounded the plant, and Revan hailed the Sith Academy from her flagship.

"What the bloody hell-?!" Jorak Uln's holographic image demanded, as soon as it appeared on the bridge of the Defiant.

Jorak must really have been caught off-guard - what little hair he had was standing up on end, and he was wearing what appeared, on the colourless holoimage, to be a light-coloured bathrobe. Malak theorised, purely for the humour of it, that it was a pastel shade of pink. He could sense that Revan had to make a concerted effort not to laugh out loud at the thought... and that under that mask she was literally grinning.

"Jorak. So nice to see you again. How are your, ah, surviving students?" Revan asked cordially.

"Revan." Jorak said snappishly, "Come back to finish me off, have you?"

"Actually, I have an offer to discuss with you." Revan replied, the picture of diplomatic politeness.

"An offer? What sort of offer?" Jorak asked warily.

"I want you to join me."

Jorak's beady eyes narrowed, as he regarded Revan's impassive mask, "Why?"

"You teach the ways of the Sith. I need people trained quickly, and have neither the time nor the inclination to do so myself. Would you be so kind as to come up here, so we can discuss my offer in a civilised manner?" she asked... the pseudo-politeness was so transparent, even Jorak couldn't miss the threat behind it. To add to the unspoken 'or else', Revan gave a telepathic prod to one of the young ex-Jedi on the bridge, who gave a signal to the rest of the fleet, for all Warbirds to charge primary turbolasers.

Jorak jumped slightly, startled, and seemed to examine something to his right with a genuine focus that implied there was actually something there to see, at his end. His eyes widened until they were practically bugging out of his head - it looked quite comical, actually. Then he slowly turned his attention back to Revan, eyes wide with fear, "Yes, that sounds... yes, I shall be with you in... ten minutes." a pretty fast time for ground-to-orbit transport, really.

Ten minutes later, in the briefing room, Malak checked the time, "He's late." he informed Revan flatly. Revan didn't react.

About fifteen seconds passed in silence, then the doors hissed open, and Jorak strode in, flanked by two of Revan's Force-adept guards, both of whom had unlit lightsabers held, pointing in Jorak's general direction. Merely igniting one of those blades would probably kill him, if he tried anything funny.

"You wished to see me, Revan?" Jorak asked, trying to sound casual. His hair was still standing on end, but he seemed to have found the time to change into that black outfit they had seen him in during their first visit to Korriban.

"Indeed I did, Jorak. Do have a seat." she waved her hand casually towards one of the chairs around a large oval table. The chair she gestured to pulled itself out from the table, inviting Jorak to sit on it.

Jorak stared at the chair for a second, as if he thought it was somehow rigged to kill him if he sat on it... but then decided it'd probably be more likely that he'd get killed if he refused Revan's suggestions. He stalked over to the chair, and settled himself in it, trying to look like he owned the place. A most ineffective illusion, as Revan so clearly did own the place.

Revan walked casually over to take her own seat, at the head of the table. The seat she had designated as Jorak's was two seats down to her left. Malak moved to stand to her right, arms folded, trying to look menacing. He, at least, unlike Jorak, succeeded in projecting this image... thought Revan did hold most of the 'fear me, or else' aura within the room.

"What did you wish to discuss, Revan." Jorak asked, his voice clipped and cold. There was an obvious strain in his tone, betraying carefully reined in fear.

"As I said earlier, I want Force-adepts trained in the Dark Arts, and your Academy is a suitable facility." Revan explained calmly, "If you refuse, you will die. If your new Apprentice then also refuses, I shall decimate your Academy from orbit. I have the firepower to literally turn this planet to dust... but I don't feel like showing off quite that much on my new fleet's maiden voyage."

Malak chuckled darkly, when he heard that. It was pretty accurate. Hell, for just turning the planet to dust, three hundred Warbirds was probably overkill. It was impressive, though.

Jorak took a few moments to think about Revan's offer... it looked like he was considering whether or not he could kill Revan and get away with it. It didn't take him long to come to his conclusion, however, "I am willing to serve you, My Lord." he said carefully keeping his tone even.

"Excellent." Revan said brightly, "Glad to see you're not a total fool. Though your choice of minions, last time we met, left something to be desired... but that isn't a problem anymore, now is it?"

Jorak's left eye twitched in a clear sign of anger, and his knuckles were white, where he gripped the arms of the chair he sat in, but he grit his teeth and didn't retort to Revan's remark. "Uthar Wynn is my new Apprentice. Do you approve of him?" he asked, in a low growl that implied he doubted anything would really meet with Revan's approval.

"You could do worse." Revan said blithely, "And I think - given those I saw in your 'Academy'-" she said the word with utter distain... even though she was currently 'negotiating' for the services of said Academy, "-Uthar appears to be the best you could really do."

Jorak glared at her. Malak was sure he saw the older Sith's eyes glow a little brighter as he glared. "So, do you wish to discuss details of this... arrangement?"

Revan smiled, leaning back in her chair, exuding smugness, "Yes. I shall send you some students. You shall also start up a recruiting program to bring in more students for me. As soon as my people are trained in the basics of the dark arts, you give them right back to me. In exchange, I let you live and keep your Academy. You may be Master within your own little domain, but you still answer to me. How does that sound?"

"Sounds fair." Jorak said, his voice strained.

"Glad you approve." Revan said in a far too sweet tone, "You may go now."

Jorak stood quickly, and bowed at the waist - clearly an uncomfortable gesture for him to make - and then turned to leave as fast as humanly possible.

"What do you think of this idea, Malak?" Revan asked, when they were left alone in the briefing room.

"I think he's a slimy git." Malak said bluntly, "But I like your plan. Please tell me you're ditching Derrin with him."

"No, I'm not." Revan said bluntly.

"Why not?" Malak protested.

"I want to keep a close eye on Derrin." Revan said, taking out a datapad and handing it to Malak, "Have a look at this."

Malak looked at the datapad. It was a record of an encrypted transmission. "What is it?"

"I don't know yet. Our computers are working on decoding it." Revan said flatly, "But it was sent from Derrin's private console to somewhere on Coruscant."

Malak frowned, examining the encrypted message. Languages, he was crap at... but encryptions were mathematically based... not that he thought he could do better than the computers, but he tried to find a pattern in what he was looking at.

"Don't bother. I tried." Revan said blithely.

Malak looked up at her, "Can I hold onto this copy?"

"Of course. If you figure it out, do tell me." Revan replied cheerfully. She was amused at him. He was determined to try to read it, even though she'd told him not to bother, and she was only letting him keep it to indulge his ego - she thought it a great joke. She was humouring him, but didn't think he'd be able to read it.

Malak's eyes narrowed as he sensed that from her, "No need to laugh at me, angel."

She turned around and struck him across the face, hard. "I thought I told you not to call me that!" she snarled.

Malak slowly reached his hand up to touch where she had hit him. The gloves she wore were made of a rough fabric, and it left a grazed mark on his cheekbone. He frowned slightly, "Why did you do that?" he asked, quietly.

"I told you not to call me that again." Revan said coldly.

Malak bowed his head, "Force of habit." he murmured.

"Break it. Or next time I'll break another bone." she growled.

Malak cringed at that thought, "Yes, Master." he replied coldly.

Revan took a step towards him, and pulled his hand away from his face, examining the slightly red mark on his cheek, "I doubt that's a fatal wound." she said snidely.

He glared at her, and pulled his hand sharply away from her. "Not funny." he growled.

She smirked, and took a step back, "Go play with that datapad, if you like." she said blithely, "I'll be in my quarters at 2200 hours, if you're... interested. Meanwhile, I shall plan our next move. The Galactic Republic won't know what hit them."

x x x

Malak took the datapad with him, to his private quarters, and spent several hours going over it. It was incredibly tedious, trying to find the code in the incredibly short message. After several long hours of not getting anywhere with it, however, 'Hey, language databank.' he thought, projecting it to Revan, 'If I go through all the mathematical decryptions I can concoct, could you tell me if the result makes sense? I'm pretty certain this isn't Basic.'

'Good idea. Get started.' Revan replied. Malak could sense only half her concentration - if that - was on him, however. When he tried to see what she was doing, he saw that she was in conference with the admiral, and several of the fleet captains. He shook his head, and brought his focus back to the datapad - he didn't really care about the details of her attack plans - he never could follow her strategies, in such matters, anyway.

Carefully projecting his thoughts for Revan to see, he began working on various algorithms for possible decryptions. Another hour of this passed, during which Revan concluded her meeting and engaged in a private discussion with Zordoc and Karath, not for the ears of the common soldiers. Something about new recruits, which Karath had mentioned during the meeting.

Eventually, however, Revan held her hand up to silence the admiral, and interrupted Malak's eavesdropping with 'That one.'

Malak stopped what he had been doing, and examined the decryption, 'Bloody hell, he's a lazy git. This is a bog-standard alpha-numeric binary displacement - I didn't think he'd try something so blatant.'

'The trick is in the language, Malak. An obscure dialect of Zabrak - hardly ever spoken outside their homeworld.'

'Well, what does it say?'

'It's directed to... Vrook - Derrin was his Padawan student, it must be referring to him. Telling of how we have turned to the dark side, and my nefarious plot to take over the galaxy - Force, it sounds so cheesy and clichéd when he words it like that-'

Malak sniggered, 'Straight out of a comic-datastrip... Master.' he replied, trying hard not to laugh too much, 'Derrin is a fan of the Starkiller Quest series.'

'Is that the one with a different bizarre lunatic trying to take over the galaxy in every episode, and the so-called hero murders them in a duelling ring every time?'

'Yes, that one.'

'Derrin really is insane.'

'You don't need to tell me twice.' Malak noted, amused, 'Weren't you in the middle of a meeting?'

'Oh, yes... and with this new information, we need to move much faster.' Malak could now sense Revan return most of her attention to the two rather confused soldiers in her briefing room.

'Can I kill Derrin now?' Malak asked hopefully.

'Actually, he has suddenly become a great deal more valuable. Misinformation is a very useful tool, Malak.'

'Bugger.'

'Language, Malak.'

'Right... that reminds me, how do I swear in Rakatan?'

'I'll teach you later.' Revan answered before locking him out of her mind, so she could concentrate on her meeting.

x x x

Malak kept a close eye on Derrin, for the next week... but the Zabrak brat didn't do anything suspicious. Unless you count being-an-annoying-git as suspicious, but that was perfectly normal behaviour for Derrin, really.

Revan took the two lead ships - Leviathan and Defiant - and several other Republic ships in her command, into Outer Rim Republic territory. Their respective captains left, to meet with several of those they believed could be convinced to join the cause. Derrin was on the Leviathan, with Malak... Malak continued to keep him under surveillance.

Those who had left on their... well, the phrase 'covert operations' doesn't quite fit since they were in plain sight, though the Republic didn't yet know they were the enemy... returned quickly, averaging about two dozen new converts- I mean, recruits- each, between them.

Only one of them failed to recruit every soldier they had thought they could turn. Malak had the good fortune of being in Revan's office when Captain Karath returned.

"My Lord." he said, bowing to Revan. Malak made a point of staying well out of the way, lurking in the shadows. "I managed to persuade thirty-four of my former command to join you."

More than any of the others. Pretty impressive... but Malak couldn't resist the cruel smirk when he sensed what Revan was about to say to that. "You promised three dozen."

"A... an approximate number, My Lord." Karath said quickly.

"I requested an exact number of those you believed you could turn, before you left." Revan said coldly, "You told me thirty-six."

"Two of the soldiers I approached were... resistant to the concept of joining us." Karath said, in a diplomatic tone.

"Names and ranks." Revan said coldly, "They will suffer for their foolishness."

"The... the two who refused to listen to my offer... their names are Garik Niedra and Carth Onasi." Karath said nervously.

"Give me a full report on the histories of them both." Revan said flatly, "On my desk by tomorrow morning. Leave now."

Malak raised an eyebrow at that. Interesting... he had expected her to punish Karath for failing.

"Y-yes, My Lord." Karath said quickly. He saluted stiffly, then turned and left Revan's office.

"What just happened?" Malak asked.

"It's not Karath's fault that those soldiers refused his offer. He couldn't very well force them to join us - that would have blown his cover." Revan said calmly, "So when we do begin conquering the Republic, I shall ensure that those whose fault it is - the foolish soldiers themselves - shall suffer the consequences of their mistake."

"Charming." Malak said flatly, "Although, for failing, Karath really should be tested again."

"Indeed." Revan looked out the window, at the Republic shipyard across the system... which, from this distance, could easily disappear behind the moon it orbited. "Since we have no further use for this place... get Karath to help you destroy it. I'll take the Leviathan back to Sith space, and meet you at Midas City."

"Why go there?"

"I have more negotiations to engage in." she said idly, "I'll meet you there when you've finished here."

Karath turned out to be much more useful than Malak had expected. Instead of simply working out an efficient strategy, he came up with pass-codes and shield frequencies, which allowed for an almost total massacre. The Republic really didn't know what hit them... nor would they know until the next strike.

x x x 


	14. Games

Falling For You 

Author's Notes: Phantom of the Opera (the movie is AMAZING) and Christmas conspired to make me throw the party in this chapter. Also, what I said about Sith meditations and music is true to real life, in a more limited capacity - I speak from personal experience on that - I literally get shivers listening to Phantom of the Opera. Chocolate products for anyone who can tell me the first name of the person whose last name Revan borrows, in this chapter (this should be easy, for some of you, as she does hang around the GotOR forums all the time - yes, I did ask permission to use her name, and yes she will get chocolate if she answers the question herself :p ).

Dark Lord Daishi: Glad you liked it. As for Cassie, some time after the Jaw Incident, I think - definitely not next chapter. Haven't decided who'll catch her, but I do know who'll kill her.  
Rascarin: Thanks. Here it is.  
F-15 Eaglestrike: Yeah, that red herring actually wasn't deliberate... but I did like its evilness.  
RollingSkull: Yes, she is. She does still love him, though, which is worrying for a Sith Lady like her - love will only lead to weakness and the risk of falling to the light side. HK hasn't had that word ingrained in its programming yet, Skull - be patient.  
Erin Banana: I fixed that problem. Derrin lives, yes - much more fun than the "Trask lives" rubbish, too, since Derrin is less 2D than Trask (randomness). Yes, she is indeed a bitch. Ah ha, you feel sorry for Malak... then my work here is done ::smug grin:: don't worry, though, I won't stop writing yet :p Firera: HK is supposed to be annoying - it's from Malak's POV, and Malak is very annoyed by the droid... hey, that rhymed! Yes, darkness is fun to write... this chapter is less-dark, but I will be exploring Malak's jealousy of Revan's rule in a very... interesting way.  
Cantankerous 84: Actually, I love long reviews - love to hear details about what people think of my writing (good or bad, though I prefer good). Still, glad you liked it - I'd bet on it only getting to 30 chapters, tops, though :p I wish you all a Happy New Year, this is my second of two seasonal presents to all of you, and the best present you can give me in return is a nice looooooooong review. Also, because I rushed to get this done for New Year's, the next chapter has not even been started yet, so it might take a while.

"Night time sharpens, heightens each sensation,  
Darkness stirs and wakes imagination,  
Silently the senses,  
Break down their defences,  
Helpless to resist the nighttime world,  
For I compose the music of the night.  
Close your eyes, for your eyes will only tell the truth,  
But the truth isn't what it ought to be,  
In the dark, it is easy to pretend,  
That the truth is what it ought to be.  
Softly, deftly, music will caress you,  
Hear it, feel it, secretly possess you,  
Open up your mind,  
Let your fantasy unwind,  
In the darkness that you know you cannot fight,  
The darkness of the music of the night"  
-Music of the Night, Phantom of the Opera.

x x x

Chapter 14 - Games

Midas City was on the arable planet of Avaricia, in neutral space between Sith territory and Hutt Space. It was a city based purely on commerce, covetousness, and capitalism (seriously, that's part of the city's motto). Not surprising, considering the city was built around the headquarters of the single most greedy, acquisitive, materialistic, money-grabbing interplanetary organisation in the galaxy. Czerka Corporation.

Why would Revan want to come here?

Malak could sense that Revan was on one of the top floors of the Czerka building, when they arrived. He took Derrin and Bandon with him when he went down to the city.

Midas was an... interesting city to walk through. The place was loud, garish and very in-your-face, in every way its inhabitants could think of. People did not wear normal clothing here - they either wore a Czerka corps uniform, or they dressed in incredibly extravagant clothing to try to out-do everyone else. The Star Forge's idea of a fashion-disaster, which Malak wore, looked relatively civilised, compared to some of the things he saw here.

The Czerka building itself, at least, was elegantly done. The tallest building in the city, a towering plasteel monolith, lined in duracrete. Intimidating to most, though Malak had seen better, even before the Star Forge.

Inside was sleek and efficient, yet still managed to look extravagant. A vast atrium led to a grand staircase up to a balcony running around the second level of the three-story atrium. Offices were visible off the balcony walkway, and pillars loomed up to the unnecessarily high ceiling - a krayt dragon would probably find this place a bit too roomy (though it'd certainly like all the walking snacks around). There were elevators to the rest of the building clearly visible off to the sides, and a reception desk that looked too big for the blonde human woman sitting behind it.

Bandon was the first to speak, when they entered the building. "This place reeks of evil." he stated bluntly.

"Either that, or it's Czerka." Derrin noted, cheerfully ignoring the cold looks he received from passing Czerka employees, for that remark.

Bandon shook his head, "No, I'm pretty sure it's evil."

"There's a difference?" Derrin asked snidely.

"Point taken." Bandon muttered.

"Midas City is one of the galaxy's centres of dark energy." Malak said calmly, "Like Dreshdae, Acheron and Angelus' Cities. It focuses the dark side, making people act on their darker impulses. For the same reason the Sith chose that particular location on Korriban for their Temple, Czerka chose this place for their headquarters. Both were - and still are - drawn to the darkness. Nice place, really." he smirked at Derrin, who scowled.

"How'd you know that?" he asked Malak.

"I read." Malak said flatly.

"Didn't know you could read." Derrin muttered.

With a wave of his hand, Malak sent Derrin flying across the atrium of Czerka HQ, crashing into one of the pillars - both Derrin and the pillar remained undamaged. Several Czerka employees looked up at this.

"Ah, you must be Revan's associates?" one of them asked, approaching Malak.

"And you are?" Malak growled, as Derrin picked himself up and tried to look inconspicuous.

"I am Janen Morgal, Assistant Manager for Czerka Corporation's Legal Department. I have instructions to escort you to the meeting room on floor seven-four-two, when you arrived. Your Master is already there." Janen was a young-looking Twi'lek woman, with pale green skin. She wore a Czerka uniform, and clutched a clipboard like it was a lifeline. She didn't bat an eye at the message she was delivering, as if Sith Lords just walked in here every day.

With Czerka, it wouldn't surprise Malak if they really did deal with evil overlords of one sort or another on a regular basis... they were right next to Hutt Space, after all. Not to mention the fact that the Exchange planet of Ravnos was practically in the next system.

Malak nodded, and the three Sith followed the Czerka minion to the elevator to the upper levels. Malak took note that there were several underground levels as well. Seven hundred and fifty floors above ground, and another thirteen basement levels. Janen pressed the button for floor seven-four-two, and they began their ascent.

"So what do you do here? I mean, I know Czerka have their hand in a lot of things, but what do you, specifically, do?" Derrin asked conversationally. Malak had to make an effort to refrain from asphyxiating Derrin - that Zabrak could be so impertinent and irritating.

"I help run the Legal Department." Janen answer, smiling, "We basically outright destroy any complaints or law-suits anyone may have regarding Czerka Corporation. We are very efficient. The last time we lost a case was five hundred and eighty-three years ago."

"Impressive." Derrin said, grinning, "Sounds like fun."

"Oh, it is." Janen said enthusiastically, "Our lawyers are trained in all known galactic legal systems, and our contracts are all durasteel-clad. We could out-do the Hutts, for economic jargon."

Derrin let out a low whistle.

"I think you'll find Revan more of a challenge than a Hutt crime-lord." Malak said coldly.

"We have no reason to argue with your Master, yet... so we could neither confirm nor deny that statement." Janen said calmly.

"Czerka are evil enough, but Czerka lawyers?" Bandon asked, "I thought becoming a Sith meant I got to out-evil all the non-Sith?"

Malak chuckled, but didn't get a chance to comment on that remark, as the elevator door opened to reveal a vast room. Revan stood, in full mask and cloak, at one side of a long wooden table. A middle-aged human man stood opposite her, wearing a Czerka uniform. On the table sat several pieces of paper. On the floor were more pieces of paper, crumpled, torn, and singed... there were also a few suspicious piles of ash on the floor, too, most likely more paper that was thoroughly burned.

Revan looked up as Malak entered the room, "Did it go well?" she asked.

"Yes. Very well." Malak answered promptly.

"Good, good." Revan said, turning her attention back to the man opposite her, "Have you decided yet?"

"Yes." the man said, removing a commlink earpiece, and setting it on the table, "Our legal department has looked over your offer, and our marketing division is eager to seal this deal with you." the man said calmly. "However..."

As the man began prattling in Legalese (not a real language, but alien enough to Malak that it may as well have been), Malak could feel an intense wave of frustration from Revan, like this was far from the first proviso she had encountered dealing with Czerka, and she really didn't want to hear another one.

'Want me to kill him for you?'

'Do you have ANY idea how much more paperwork that would conjure up for us?' Revan replied in his mind, as she listened half-heartedly to the Czerka official, 'I want this alliance partly because Czerka are certifiably evil. Evil enough to asphyxiate you with bloody red tape. It is necessary, Malak, to fight fire with fire - for Mandalore, an honour-duel - for Jorak, a show of strength - for Czerka, contracts and negotiations. For the Jedi, logic.'

Malak looked up at her, but didn't respond to that. He hadn't thought ahead to the possibility of fighting against the Jedi. Their old Masters. The idea was intimidating... but also inevitable, given their chosen path.

'Look, I don't need any muscle to back me up here... and you clearly don't follow legal jargon. How about you go and find something fun - and not too destructive - to do elsewhere on the planet? Blow off some steam. Get non-fatal revenge on Derrin for your hair. Something. Anything that doesn't involve heavy artillery.'

'Cute. Real cute. We just got here.'

'You made your report to me. You can go now.'

Malak made a noise somewhere between an exasperated sigh and a growl, then turned, ordering Derrin and Bandon to follow him.

x x x

Most of the social locations in Midas City were clubs and cantinas. The cantina nearest the Czerka building was relatively high-class, and Derrin didn't shut up until Malak agreed that they could go there so Derrin could intoxicate himself.

Sitting in the cantina, Malak felt highly out of place. It was full of bright colours and loud voices, and the atmosphere was one of revelry and anticipation.

"Why is everyone acting like it's Solstice Eve?" Bandon muttered coldly. The holiday he mentioned was celebrated on different dates throughout the galaxy... the turning point of winter, shortest day of the year, on whatever planet and hemisphere you happened to live on. It was usually more important to arable planets than any others - Tatooine settlers actually celebrated it in summer, when the days began to get shorter and the hottest time had passed. It went by different names on different worlds - Bandon probably called it by its older name because he was raised on Dantooine; a planet which does still use that name for the holiday.

But it was mid-spring, on this hemisphere of Avaricia. "I do not know." Malak said... but the feel of the city itself was indeed a festive one. It made Malak mildly nauseous, actually... and the fact Derrin was already well on his way to being drunk didn't help matters.

Bandon got bored with sitting watching Derrin make a fool of himself, much more quickly than Malak, and grabbed a passing waiter, "Why is everyone so... cheerful... today?"

"Oh, you're off-worlders, aren't you?" the waiter asked, in a condescending tone. Bandon nodded, glaring. "Well, this is the Founding Day celebration - five hundred years ago, today, this city was founded. It's a big party, for us."

"Oh great." Malak said coldly, "We're going to be stuck here in the middle of a holiday... I'll bet Revan'll be pissed."

'Actually, I'm very pleased.' Revan's voice said, in his mind, 'We're close to finalising the deal, and we've been invited to the Founding Ball in the grand hall at Czerka HQ. Apparently, it's a great honour for someone not employed by Czerka to get invited.'

'Delightful.'

'Oh, cheer up. It'll be fun. I've never been to a formal Ball like the one they're planning. I like the sound of it... and you will also attend. I suggest you acquire something suitable to wear by 1900 hours tonight.' it was clearly an order. Great, just what he needed.

Derrin got drunk enough to start singing after only a couple of hours. Malak decided to delegate the undesirable task of carrying the drunken fool back to the shuttle... Bandon got stuck with that thankless duty.

Meanwhile, Malak walked in a different direction, hoping to get back late enough to either avoid Derrin or miss the party... both, if he was lucky. The city was still bustling and writhing with life, much to Malak's distaste. Darkened alleyways were more his style, really... and he found one that cut across on his way back to the spaceport pretty easily. Malak was much more suited to a dark and gloomy mood than the bright and lively streets of the rich and hedonistic city.

Turning a corner from one dark side-street into another, he all but tripped over a body on the ground. When he caught himself, he turned and looked at what had tripped him. A young girl - she couldn't have been older than thirteen - unconscious but still alive. There was an angry-looking bruise on her pretty face, and her clothes were dirty, bloodstained, and ripped in a couple of places.

He debated just leaving her to the mercy of the next predator to find her... but then he sensed something else. A glimmer of the Force in her. He frowned at the girl for a moment, before making his decision. He knelt next to her and carefully scanned her injuries... nothing broken, no internal bleeding, but a bad concussion and hypothermia. If she was left out here much longer, she would probably be dead within the hour.

Against his better judgement, and sure that Revan would pitch a fit, Malak carefully picked up the injured girl and carried her the short distance back to their shuttle. Pointedly ignoring an unconscious Derrin in the middle of the floor, Malak laid the girl down on the only thing that could pass for a bed in the living area of the tiny shuttle - it wasn't any better than the one in the medbay on the Defiant, really.

He gave the girl a shot of kolto, and an adrenal stimulant to help her recover faster. It was still only 1145 hours, so he had plenty of time before the party... unfortunately. Incidentally, even for Derrin, this was unusually early to get so pissed out of his mind.

A muffled sound from the other room of the shuttle drew Malak's attention, and he looked out to see Derrin sitting up in the co-pilot's seat, muttering in a language Malak didn't know, into a commlink. This was definitely not normal. Derrin had appeared to be falling-down-drunk moments ago. It appeared the brat was more conniving than Malak had given him credit for.

A soft moan from behind Malak drew his attention back to the girl he had rescued. She was awake. She tried to sit up, but couldn't seem to manage it.

"Hey, it's ok. You're safe." Malak said in a gentle tone, closing the door to keep Derrin out.

"Where... where am I?" the girl asked, looking around nervously, "How did I get here?"

"I found you unconscious in an alleyway." Malak explained, "You probably wouldn't have survived much longer if you'd been left there."

He moved to her side, and helped her to sit on the edge of the so-called-bed. She seemed very frightened, but he could sense that she was recovering physically, at least. "Thank you." she whispered, looking up at him, "Who are you?"

"I could ask you the same question." Malak said evasively, "And while we're at it, what actually happened to you?"

"I was mugged." she said, shrugging, "It happens sometimes if you go out on your own at night, on this world."

"Then why were you out on your own? Where are your parents?"

"My parents are both dead." she said quietly, "Mommy got sick and died when I was three, daddy was killed for ratting on the Exchange. I tried to get a job with Czerka - they pay well and are amoral enough to employ someone who's underage. Least, I thought they were."

"Where do you live?" Malak had initially considered sending her back wherever she lived on this world, but if he did that Force knows what the money-hungry vermin of this world would do to her.

"If you mean where's my home, I don't have one." she said, frowning at the floor, "Now it's my turn to question you - why did you help me? Avaricians, as a rule, don't help someone unless they're likely to get money out of it."

"I'm not from this world." Malak answered.

She looked up at him, "What is your name?"

"My name is Malak. What's yours?"

"It's-" she frowned, as she suddenly noticed the state of her clothes. Her hands flew to the tear on her trousers - a pocket ripped off so it hung by one corner, incapable of holding anything, "Damnit!" she yelled, "They took my fake ID! That cost me a hundred credits!" She quickly reached up to her neckline and pulled out a chain she wore. Feeling the pendant hanging there, she signed with relief.

"What is that?" Malak asked.

"You ask a lot of questions." she muttered, "It's my mother's necklace. It's not worth much money, that's probably why they didn't take it." she looked very upset, at this point. "What do I do now? I have no money, nothing of value, and no way to get work on this planet." something clicked in her mind, and she turned to look up at Malak with pleading eyes, "Could you help me? Take me offworld, anywhere, I don't care, as long as it's somewhere I won't be treated like dirt the way I am here."

Malak smiled - the Force felt stronger in her when she decided so definitively as she just had that she wanted something. She could probably learn to use it. Why the Jedi hadn't found her before probably had something to do with the fact they never go near Avaricia... but she certainly had the potential. Maybe Revan wouldn't pitch a fit when she found out, after all. A new minion for her.

"I could do that." Malak said in a measured tone, "In fact, I know somewhere that you might like to go. Somewhere you could learn to become more powerful - no one would be able to treat you like dirt, ever again."

Her eyes lit up at that thought, "Really? How?"

"You could be taught to use the Force... with that sort of skill, none of the Force-blind filth that you find on this world, or any like it, would be able to hurt you again. What do you think of that?"

"Yes, please." she said eagerly.

"Alright, then. When we leave this planet, we'll take you with us." Malak said, smiling at the girl in what he hoped was a comforting way. "You, get some rest - being unconscious after a beating cannot be counted as a restful night's sleep - I have to go and deal with a few things, I'll probably not be back until later. Alright?"

"Yeah. Thanks again."

"You still need to tell me your name, you know." Malak noted, standing and taking the two steps it took to get to the door.

"My name's Selene."

"I'll be back later, Selene. If you need anything, ask the Zabrak - he's annoying, but he's not stupid."

She giggled as Malak left the room, closing the door behind him.

Derrin was sitting in the middle of the floor, looking up blearily at Malak.

"Keep an eye on her, would you?" Malak asked him. Derrin blinked blankly. Malak kicked Derrin in the stomach, and left the shuttle to the sound of gagging.

x x x

The Founding Ball was truly spectacular. Malak had never seen a party like this, before. The only parties he had ever seen were those in clubs on Coruscant... and those really did not compare in any way. The grand hall was vast, stretching the whole breadth and width of the top floor of the Czerka building. Glittering decorations were draped from the ceiling and walls, just enough not to look too gaudy.

Revan had insisted that Malak dress appropriately. It was a formal event, which had a strict dress-code, so Malak had had to acquire something suitable to wear from one of the many many shops on this world. The outfit he had finally chosen (more at Revan's mental prodding than for any other reason) looked a bit like a black-with-silver-trim version of a Republic Admiral's dress-uniform (which is usually white with gold trim), except without the insignia... or half the other crap decorations.

It was a formal dance, however, and Malak found himself standing back near a wall, watching the dance floor with some fascination. The dances were unfamiliar to him, but they all seemed to follow a pattern, which he could recognise repeating, as he followed any specific couple with his eyes. It didn't look overly complicated, really. He ran over the steps in his mind, half thinking he'd never really need to know this, since Revan would likely just choose to lurk in a corner and not wish to dance anyway.

He could sense her approaching. The elevator came out on the upper level, where a short corridor led to the top of a sweeping and mostly-decorative flight of stairs down to the main hall. Revan had just stepped off the elevator.

Malak looked up as Revan reached the top of the stairs... and he just stared, mouth agape, at what he saw there.

It was Revan... but she wasn't wearing her usual cloak and mask. Instead, she wore a long flowing dress, the same shade of red that her robes used to be. It was sleek and elegant, with a low neckline that showed off her cleavage very well. The thin straps of the dress left her shoulders exposed... but she wore long gloves of the same red material, which covered most of her arms.

Her hair was braided and curled into a beautiful arrangement on top of her head, with only a few strands curling down at the back of her neck, and one down the side of her face. Her eyes still gleamed golden, but her face looked beautiful... probably due to the fact she was wearing makeup to conceal the little detail that her face was otherwise pale with veins clearly visible. Her skin - of which there was quite a bit visible, thanks to the low neckline and split up to her thigh - was still pale, but Malak could have told you without needing to look that the only veins that were normally visible were on her face.

She walked slowly down the staircase, with elegant poise that would make royalty jealous. Attracting stares from everyone in the room, she crossed the floor heading straight for Malak. "You're staring at me." she said bluntly, reaching a gloved finger up to his chin, pushing it up to close his mouth with an audible click of his teeth.

The memory came to Malak first, but Revan felt it almost immediately, "I am?" he asked, smiling slightly.

She tilted her head to the side, feigning innocence, and quoted their shared memory word-for-word, "Actually, you're not just staring, you're gawping. If it were any more obvious, your jaw would have hit the floor."

"Nice imagery." he murmured.

"Thank you."

"Though, tonight, I have every reason to stare at you." Malak said bluntly, "You look... stunning."

She smiled, "Your Master couldn't make it to the party, Lord Malak." she said, clearly amused. Malak raised an eyebrow at that, and she added for clarification, "I am here as your escort and lover." 'A little roll-reversal, for one night. Make the most of it, love.'

Malak stared at her, stunned once more, and unable to think of what to say to that. Revan smirked, and reached up to close his mouth again. That brought him back to his senses, "Would you like to dance, then?" he asked, offering her his hand.

"I'd love to." she replied enthusiastically, accepting the offered hand. Though the knowledge in the back of his mind, that she had no idea how to dance, was strong. He smiled, telepathically sharing his observations of the dances he had watched with her, as he led her to the dance floor.

It was like a sort of dream. They danced seamlessly together, as if they were of one mind... then again, the Force-bond they shared was as near to that concept as you could get with both sides maintaining free-will. Revan really did look like an angel, tonight.

After a minute, Revan closed her eyes, practically melting into the music by the way she reached out with her senses, feeling the music around them as if it was physically tangible. She then gave him a none-too-subtle telepathic nudge telling him to open his mind in the same way. When he closed his own eyes and did as Revan 'suggested', it had an effect similar to Sith meditations... except it focused their minds on the emotion the music around them conveyed, instead of darker emotions like anger and hatred. The song spoke of love.

It felt like walking on air- correction, dancing on air. 'That's exactly what we are doing, dumbass.' Revan's thoughts intruded bluntly.

Mental image of sticking his tongue out at her, as the music slowed and he felt his feet touch the ground.

'Don't stick your tongue out at me unless you plan to use it.'

'Actually, I like the sound of that.' Malak thought, giving her quite a different mental image, which made her cough to disguise an indignant splutter.

'Actually, that's a very... appealing thought.' Revan noted, amused, 'Just... not right now... unless you want to make even more of a spectacle of yourself.'

Malak opened his eyes to see everyone staring at them. "Well, we certainly made an impression, didn't we?" Revan said far too innocently.

"So it seems, angel." he saw her eyes flash at the nickname, but she didn't react to it in any other way. She turned, still holding his hand, and led him off the dancefloor.

"Lord Malak, I didn't see you come in." the man Malak had seen Revan negotiating with earlier said, as soon as Malak stepped onto the carpeted surface at the edge of the dance floor.

"Probably because I arrived before you." Malak noted coldly.

"And who is this lovely lady?" the man asked, ignoring Malak's tone completely.

"This is my date for the night." Malak said bluntly, debating the merits of using the Force to either persuade this man to leave, or to choke him instead. But that wouldn't be polite, now would it? Maybe later.

"Where is Lord Revan? I heard he would be here." the man asked.

Revan raised a delicate eyebrow, "He couldn't make it." she said, emphasising the word 'he' slightly.

The man looked at her sharply, "And your name would be?"

Revan offered him her right hand, and curtsied politely, "My name is Nova Stari."

The man took her hand, and inclined his head in a polite pass for a bow. The formality looked uncomfortable and forced on him, contrasting sharply with the fluid ease of Revan's every gesture. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Stari."

'Miss Stari?' Malak asked in her mind, 'Mystery?'

'Indeed. I found it amusing.'

'I'm barely keeping a straight face, angel.' he noted... which was the truth.

"My name is Vernon Mannors." the man said to both of them, before turning his attention back to Malak as if Revan was invisible, "I am the head of Czerka's Acquisitions and Mergers department. My department manages all negotiations and, ahem, treaties with other... organisations."

Malak looked the man in the eyes, reading the emotion behind what he was saying. He was most unhappy with the treaty he had negotiated with Revan, it appeared. "And I assume you reached an acceptable agreement with my Master?"

"Yes, indeed." Mannors lied quite blatantly. It would be difficult for a Force-blind to detect such a lie - there were no obvious signs of it on his face - but the deceit was clear in his thoughts. "Most satisfactory."

"I see." Malak said, unimpressed. He idly wondered what threats Revan had made to finalise a treaty that the other party was so averse to.

'Force grip.' Revan answered in his mind, 'And not on his throat.'

Malak flinched slightly, but pushed that thought quickly away. Revan really did scare him sometimes.

x x x

Several hours later, the party was still going strong. Malak had become exceedingly bored, and since Revan had decided to play the game of being his obedient servant for the night, he decided to see exactly how much he could get away with.

He led her off into a small side-room. A sort of lounge, unoccupied except for the two of them, with couches on all four walls, and a low table in front of one of the couches. Malak closed the door behind them, as Revan looked around with feigned naiveté. "What are we doing in here, Lord Malak?" she asked innocently, folding her arms in front of her - by this stage in the night, she had removed her gloves, claiming she found the material uncomfortable.

"If you would prefer the middle of the dance floor, it could be arranged." he said, smirking. He was pleased to see her blush slightly at that thought. "But I thought you might prefer some degree of privacy."

"And what is it that you wish to do?" she asked, her tone one of genuine deference. He knew with absolute certainty that after this night he would never hear that tone in her voice again.

"You know perfectly well, angel." he saw her open her mouth to snap at him for calling her that name, then she stopped herself in time and shut her mouth again.

He caught her by the waist, and pulled her against him. She looked up at him with an obviously fake clueless expression - the way her golden eyes glittered belied any pretence of innocence she could offer. He tried to kiss her, but she turned her head to one side, 'Don't want to mess up my makeup.'

'You're very vain for someone who hides her face all the time.'

Revan wrinkled her nose at him, but didn't argue. If she didn't want to kiss him, he would do something else with his mouth. He pushed her back onto one of the couches, and pinned her down, kneeling astride her, hands holding her delicate wrists up next to her head. Then he leaned down and kissed her throat.

She squirmed slightly, putting up a bit of a fight... though he could sense her quite consciously not reach to the Force when she struggled. If she wanted to, she could easily throw him off her with the Force. He looked at her face, carefully, before saying, "I am the Master, tonight, am I not?"

"Yes, Lord Malak." she answered promptly.

"Then if you want to play, you will not fight me." he said, in a tone that made the simple statement an order. He glanced at her fingers, which were curled so he could see the crimson-painted nails clearly... very sharp nails, "Especially not with those." he added.

Revan pouted cutely, but then uncurled her fingers and relaxed, "As you command, Lord Malak."

Oh, he really liked the sound of that. He kissed her neck again, moving slowly down to her right shoulder, pushing the strap of the dress off her shoulder to get it out of the way. A fleeting thought in the back of his mind - Revan's thought - told him that this was fun, but not violent enough for her liking. When he sensed that, he bit her shoulder, quite sharply.

Revan yelped in surprise - Malak hadn't thought about the action before he did it, so it had caught her off-guard. He tasted blood, and looked at her shoulder with a flicker of concern - he hadn't meant to bite her that hard. She twisted her wrist out of his grasp, and grabbed his hand, herself... a chill ran up his arm, as she used the Force to steal just enough energy from him to stop the very light bleeding on the bite-mark. It left a faint, but distinct scar on her shoulder.

Malak licked the drop of blood off his lips, and smirked, "Now you're mine, angel."

She rolled her eyes, 'Why must you persist in using that name for me?'

He resumed kissing and nibbling gently on her neck, 'Because that's what I think you are. And I can get away with it, tonight.'

'Stubborn git.'

'Thank you.' Malak smirked, as his hand moved down her right side - brushing over her breast, which made her shiver slightly - to her thigh, where the dress split.

As he let go of her other wrist, she moved both her hands up above her head, in a completely submissive gesture, "For tonight, yes I am yours." she said, answering his last spoken statement.

Malak kissed her lips lightly as he pushed her dress back - that split seemed almost designed to make this easier for him. Revan pulled away from the kiss, "My makeup-"

"-looks fine." Malak interrupted her, "Don't be so vain."

Revan quite noticeably bit her own tongue, and shrugged slightly, "As you command." she said, a note of 'you are going to pay for this later' in her tone, though she didn't actually think it.

She didn't just let him make love to her, she let him dominate her completely. She let him own her, for this one night. The feeling of pure control and power was amazing. He wholeheartedly wished that this moment would never end, that he could have this power over her forever, that he could control her completely, that he could be the Master.

x x x

As Malak checked that his clothing was presentable, and Revan simply lounged on the couch next to him, he heard a voice outside the door.

"They will never find out, I assure you." it was Vernon Mannors, "It is a simple matter, all we do is give them what they are prepared to pay for. They need never know we are giving them goods inferior to those stipulated in the contract."

Malak glanced at the couch, to see Revan wasn't there - he sensed her behind the couch, 'Hide, I want to hear what that prat is on about.'

Malak decided that was probably the best idea, and quickly hid behind the same couch... on top of Revan. 'Since we're here... want to go again?'

'Don't be ridiculous... they would hear us.'

'Hmm... true.'

The door opened at that moment, and Vernon Mannors entered, followed by some random Czerka minion. "It is dangerous to double-cross a Sith, Vernon."

"They will never know. And let's face it, we cannot afford to supply them with what they demanded."

"We also afford even less to lose the territory they plan to conquer." the minion noted pointedly.

"Bah, they will never know."

"You think so, do you?" Malak asked, standing up, and stepping around the couch. Vernon stared, like a gizka in headlights.

Revan also stood, smirking slightly, and making a point of adjusting the strap of her dress and smoothing the material down her front, to make it clear exactly what they had been doing minutes before.

"L-Lord Malak, I didn't expect to see you here." Vernon stammered.

"Clearly." Malak said coldly, "Did I hear correctly, you were planning on trying to cheat my Master out of the contract you agreed on?"

"Ch-cheat is such a strong word."

"Indeed. Who is this?" Malak asked, glancing briefly at the random Czerka minion. A human man, no older than Malak himself, with dark brown hair and a pinstriped suit that looked quite frankly hideous even to Malak's fashion-blind eyes.

"I- I am the vice-chairman of the Acquisitions and Mergers department here. My name is Larin Hart."

Malak nodded slightly to Larin, "It sounded like you were trying to talk him out of his foolish idea of trying to trick my Master."

"Y-yes, I was." Larin said, nodding quickly.

"Good. You're his second in command, is that correct?" Malak asked calmly.

"Yes, that's right." Larin answered.

"Then you can deal with the paperwork." Malak said bluntly, before holding up his hand, and using the Force to grip Vernon Mannors' throat. "No one, and I do mean no one, cheats Revan and lives to tell about it." he growled, as the poor fool clawed futilely at the thin air that was strangling him.

Larin just stared at this. He didn't look particularly shocked, certainly not as shocked as he really should considering his boss was being strangled to death right in front of him.

"Larin, I've been looking for you, I-" Janen Morgal stopped mid-step and mid-sentence, when she saw what was happening, "Oh, never mind." she said, also staring dispassionately at the scene.

Vernon Mannors dropped dead in the middle of the floor, and Janen spoke again, "I was going to say that Mr Mannors wanted that report on the Systech merger on his desk in one hour or else... but I guess that is irrelevant, now."

"So it would seem." Larin said, "I will, as Lord Malak pointed out, be far too busy with the paperwork for this to deal with Systech for the next few days."

"I'll stall them for you, then." Janen said, nodding curtly, "Should I get someone to deal with that?" she asked, pointing to the body.

"Yes. That would be a good idea." Larin turned his attention back to Malak, and bowed low, "I assure you, My Lord, that I will not make the same mistake as my predecessor."

"See that you don't." Malak said pointedly, offering Revan a hand, which she accepted. He led her out of the room, and around the edge of the dance floor. They weren't heading to the staircase, but as they passed foot of it, Revan flinched noticeably, her hand moving to her stomach as if she was in pain... but that was not what he sensed from her, he sensed shock.

When Malak turned to face her, her eyes were wide with what looked like fear. "I... I have to go." she turned and ran up the stairs. Malak hesitated for a second, before following her at a run. As he reached the top of the stairs, he saw her disappear into the elevator as the clock chimed midnight.

x x x


	15. Anger

Falling For You

Author's Notes: The party last chapter lasted longer than I expected - this chapter was supposed to be the Jaw Incident. Be patient, though. Telos, and more HK are our feature presentation this week. Not to mention an answer to why Revan ran off at the end of last chapter.

Dark Lord Daishi: Well Czerka ARE evil... aren't they? I thought the concept of Czerka lawyers was fun - comparable to Wolfram and Hart, almost. And Revan left - she is genuinely terrified of what made her run. "Clean up on Aisle 2!" :falls over laughing: cute!  
Ozziegrl: Yes, that was utterly shameless. No Cinderella spell, though I thought it was fitting to have her make a Cinderella-esque exit - gave it some dramatic flair or something like that. She was wearing makeup, and that was the only thing concealing her otherwise less-than-appealing appearance, but she doesn't look any more monstrous than the DS-mastery PCs in the game (many of the females of which I actually think are pretty hot.  
Darth Arachne:gives you chocolate: yeah, Van Helsing has to be one of the best vamp movies out there (certainly the best-looking werewolves - WAY better than Harry Potter). Ahem, yeah.  
RollingSkull: Yes, you and Erin both know the secret. As for your "explanation" of it... I could say something about that role-reversal game and Malak ordering her to kneel before him, but that would just be obscene. The only reason they prattled about legal skills was because the girl they talked to was from their legal department :p and I will not pardon that expression - blatant, much?  
Rascarin: Hey, it's not actually that bad of a cliffhanger - you should see the one in RSC, now that was evil... and Xenzen has done some vicious ones, too. Besides, it's not even that pivotal to the plot - I was actually debating leaving it out altogether, but I liked the Cinderella-esque exit it gave her.  
Cantankerous 84:hugs you: I LOVED THE LONG REVIEW! Um, good guess, but it's not THAT big a deal, plot-wise - the plot-bunny was actually totally expendable. Soap opera, you say - Force, I hope not. The Czerka party was a sorta interlude for the holiday season, that's all. Vadery - hadn't noticed till you mentioned it, but you're right - wow. Yes, Erin gets royalties of 99.9 of all monetary profits for that chapter. Selene should sound familiar, yes - she is pivotal to someone else's plotline in the KotOR story... and Malak's LS-tendencies are becoming more self-serving - he only really saved her because she was a potential new minion for the Sith. Derrin will not be killed before Malak betrays Revan - this I can confirm with absolute certainty.  
PadawanMage: Oh gods, I love you! Long reviews :huggles you! Actually, the Masters weren't voyeuristic, but the Knights spread rumours that they were. Bastila's much younger than Revan and Malak - Revan's about halfway between Carth's age and Bastila's. Revan and Malak didn't go down to Taris at all in my version. I'd figured an Interdictor ship is one with tractor-beams to catch other ships and drag them out of hyperspace. Yay! Finally, someone who recognised where I got Darien from! Yeah, dialysis 3 times a week - don't worry about it, though. Revan/Bastila's Force-bond... initially parental, because Bastila gave Revan a second chance at life... but later changing into one of the other two forms depending on Revan's gender and how you play the game. I do love my foreshadowing, yes I do. Yes, the pilot was Carth. The Zabrak homeworld is Iridonia. Actually, HK knew the Sandpeople language because it was a Star Forge droid and the Sandpeople were once slaves to the Builders. You flatter me (calling me evil)... and you clearly have a very good Thesaurus. Yes - I saw that trailer, and I even own identical contact lenses. I'd also love it if someone could draw a couple of scenes from this fanfic - the one you mentioned and the one in the medbay after the Jaw Incident (which I've already written, and there's a flashback to in SCHV)... but I'm crap at drawing humans. Yes, Hagrid :gives you chocolate, just because I love your reviews SO much: and in the game, Vrook's last name is Lamar. I have this theory that Carth's an itty-bitty bit Force-sensitive (just enough to make him "lucky" in a fight - there is no luck, there is only the Force). The Riddick reference you missed was the two daggers Malak used - in my mind they looked like the curved things Riddick liked to use. They were meant to seem like Sirens. Actually, "you could be great" was stolen from the Sorting Hat. Yes, that's where I got Cassie from. No, I give my characters more pain than I get, so I don't feel so bad about myself. Not "used to love" - she still loves him. It's not healthy, I agree. Actually, I was thinking more of Event Horizon, when I thought of the black hole thing. HK says it's a Systech droid because its memory is messed up and Systech was where it was bought from - kinda like Revan telling Carth she was a soldier on the Endar Spire, lol. Nope, that wasn't Telos... this chapter is. I actually based Czerka in my fic on Wolfram and Hart. Hope she isn't what, eh? If you're thinking what I think you're thinking... well, just read on.  
Linus: Thank you - glad you like it.  
D. Eldsoldier: Disappointed, how? I hate to be predictable, so I'd like to know how best to avoid it in future... or perhaps you're just getting used to my twisted mind?  
Soldier of Darkness: Glad you like it. I do wonder what I did to make you want to kill Carth, though?  
F-15 Eaglestrike: Yeah, it was supposed to be random. Glad you liked it, though.  
Pinguicha: Thank you. I'm glad you liked it, and sorry it took so long to update - writer's block hit me bad.

"You won't believe the things I've seen,  
Far beyond you're wildest dreams,  
I've seen chaos and order reign supreme,  
I've seen the beauty of the universe, a peaceful answering,  
From sacricern to violence and screams.  
Oh, like, your heart is warring with your brain,  
Emotional or reason,  
Now which one do you obey?  
Oh, like, somebody calling you insane,  
When all the world's in bliss,  
Bursting tears of happiness"  
-Spooks, Things I've Seen.

x x x

Chapter 15 - Anger

Malak caught up with Revan just as she was kicking (literally) Derrin off the shuttle, yelling viciously about teenage children on HER shuttle, and various types of Zabrak mental illnesses. The shuttle then took off, with only Revan on board.

"What the bloody hell?" Derrin asked, stunned.

Malak whacked Derrin in the back of the head, just missing the horns, "Where is the girl, anyway?"

Derrin pointed. Bandon was sulking, and the girl a few feet away was giving Bandon a look that said she'd not trust him as far as she could throw him.

"What just happened?" Bandon asked, mirroring Derrin's confusion.

"If I knew, do you think I'd have been following her that far behind?" Malak asked coldly.

Selene spotted Malak, and scurried quickly over to him, "Who's he?" she asked, pointing to Bandon.

"A bantha-brained young man with serious issues against his father." Malak said flatly.

"Hey!" Bandon snapped.

"It's the truth." Malak noted, smirking.

"He's a Hutt-hearted asshole! Of course I have 'issues' against him!" Bandon snarled.

"Told you so." Malak muttered to Selene, who giggled nervously. "Where can we get a shuttle up to our ship around here, Selene?"

"Probably the taxi service two blocks away." she answered, "They do ground-to-orbit trips, I think."

Malak sighed, it would have to do, "Lead the way."

Selene's guess had been right, and they managed to arrive less than ten minutes after Revan's shuttle had docked. Malak threw a handful of credits - not bothering to count them - at the taxi-pilot, and told him to sod off. The taxi-pilot was smart enough to do as he was told.

Revan was in the medbay, he could sense her there, but when he tried to communicate with her she blocked him. "Derrin, take the girl to guest quarters, and tell her the rules of the ship." Malak said distantly.

"Yes'm, Boss."

A bolt of Force lightning hit Derrin's foot, for the snide tone with which he had addressed Malak. Then Malak turned and ran towards the medbay. He wanted to know what was wrong with Revan.

x x x

When he entered the medbay, he found Revan glowering at a cringing medic. He noted the detail that the medic was clutching a bruised cheek, and Revan's fingers were curled as if she was trying to resist the urge to claw the poor physician's eyes out.

"If you consider it such a bad thing." the medic said, through gritted teeth, "I can... fix the problem."

"Yes, please do." Revan said, venom in every word.

"What's wrong?" Malak asked, stepping into the room. He was genuinely concerned for Revan - she had seemed utterly terrified of something. He couldn't tell what, though.

"Go away, Malak." she growled, "I'll be fine as soon as the medic gives me something to eliminate the problem."

"If you are certain it is less than three hours - and I find it difficult to believe you can sense it this early, my tests barely registered it, but I trust in your Force powers My Lord - I can give you some medication to get rid of it." the medic said nervously, "Though it wouldn't surprise me if you could deal with it yourself - if the Force can grip a man's throat to kill him, surely-"

"Yes, I shall do that." Revan murmured, turning to shove past Malak. Malak followed her down the corridor.

"Care to tell me why you ran out on the party, hijacked the shuttle all four of us were supposed to share, and ran straight to the medbay?" Malak asked coldly.

"Not really."

Malak stepped in front of her, grabbed her by the shoulders, and looked into her eyes - she put up her mental defences, but he found far more chinks in her armour than he expected, and he quickly saw why. His eyes widened in fear and surprise, and he couldn't think what to say to her.

"So now you know. Get the hell out of my way. I want to be alone."

"So you can kill it?"

"Yes." she shoved past him, used the Force to knock him to the ground, and fled down the corridor towards her quarters.

Malak picked himself up quickly, and ran after her. He still found it hard to believe, but he sensed it with absolute certainty in her mind. Revan was pregnant.

"Revan, wait!" he shouted, racing after. She ran faster, using the Force to increase the speed of her footsteps. Malak did the same - in a foot-race, even with Revan's superior Force affinity, Malak always could beat her. He caught up with her just in time to get his foot in the door of her room.

He stepped into the room, letting the door close behind him. Revan turned to glare at him, "This is your fault, you do realise that don't you?"

"It's no more my fault than it is yours." he growled, "Believe it or not, it takes two to cause this situation."

"Yes, I know that." she muttered, "I assure you, I shall be much more careful in future."

That's good - at least she's acknowledging that there will be a scenario for her to be careful in, in future - he had been slightly worried she would push him away for doing this to her, even accidentally. "How could you sense it so soon?"

"I sensed the spark of life, not my own, inside me." she said quietly.

The Jedi believed that that spark was the birth of the soul. There were enough thoroughly foolproof methods - some even used the Force - available to prevent pregnancy from occurring in the first place that it was perfectly reasonable for them to believe abortion was murder. Only in the truly horrendous situation of the conception being the result of rape would it really be justified... to a Jedi, anyway. But neither Revan nor Malak had considered this potential consequence before now. It really was their own fault.

Revan, who had been reading Malak's train of thought, turned her face away from him, staring at the floor, "If this had happened before we found the Star Forge... perhaps I would have turned back then. If it had happened during the Mandalorian Wars, I would have let you duel Mandalore, and certainly would have returned to the Jedi after our victory there."

"But..." Malak prompted, knowing it was what she was thinking, and afraid to hear what she would say. The idea of going back to the Jedi would certainly have appealed to him at the time she spoke of, but the thought made him sick now.

"But now, I have no intention of turning back-"

"Nor should you." Malak noted bluntly.

"- and this would ruin all my plans." she looked up at him, "Let's face it, it would ruin the illusion I have carefully cultivated of being either male or at least of unknown gender."

Malak's lip twitched at a mental image of her wearing that robe, cloak and mask, at nine-months pregnant. Revan cringed at the thought.

"On that note," Revan continued, "A pregnant woman is never intimidating, unless she threatens to sit on you. A pregnant Sith Lord would be a laughing stock. Even if I did manage to conceal it somehow, we are at war and I have neither the time nor the inclination to waste my energy dealing with a baby."

"But you can't just kill it!" Malak snapped. He still held on to some of his Jedi morals - it was one thing to kill an enemy, or even innocents that the enemy might choose to hide behind, but... "It's innocent, and you would be killing it purely for your own vanity and that it'll be a bit inconvenient!"

"This is my choice. It is none of your concern." Malak opened his mouth to protest, but Revan didn't give him the chance, "GET OUT!" she snarled as she used the Force to send him flying through the door, which opened for him and locked as soon as he was outside the room. He crashed into the wall opposite the door, and slumped to the ground with a grunt of pain.

He closed his eyes, reaching out through the Force. He could sense the spark of life in her. He focused carefully in order to use a trick he had learned to identify people whose auras he had never sensed... it involved focusing in so closely that he could read the genetic code of the person he looked at. It required deep concentration, but it was accurate. Aside from confirming the obvious detail that it really was his, he could discern the gender of it, even this early.

He pulled back from this, and sensed Revan was also focusing, with the intent to terminate it. 'Please don't kill our daughter, Revan.'

He had succeeded in distracting her. She actually hesitated, her thoughts flickering to the memory of Genie's death. A weak part of her mind, thought long dead, fought with her cold logic trying to convince her that Malak was right. Her conscience. But she crushed it brutally, and then used the Force to do the same to the life inside her.

Malak flinched as he sensed the death of it. After almost a minute, he stood shakily, and fled to his own quarters. He couldn't think what else to do. He didn't cry for it - couldn't and wouldn't show that sort of weakness - but it hurt him, all the same.

x x x

Malak couldn't push Revan away for her choice. It did make logical sense. And he was so drawn to her that he didn't want to hate her for it. Couldn't even if he wanted to. Within two days he had given in and returned to share her bed again.

A couple of weeks passed. They advanced on Republic space. The treaty with Czerka was for food and other supplies, which they did receive in perfect condition. Czerka set up shop on a few of the planets Revan conquered, and everyone besides the now-deceased Vernon Mannors was satisfied with this deal.

Selene remained on the Defiant, helping out with odd jobs, and generally earning her keep, though she would be put to much better use when they revisited Korriban to drop her off. Revan had been grooming the girl to act as her spy within Korriban Academy, to report on Jorak's every move - it certainly would be useful to know exactly what that old lunatic was doing to their minions-in-training.

Derrin persisted in his feeble espionage attempts, passing information to Master Vrook. Revan used this to her advantage, telling Derrin plans that not only were inaccurate, but that worked in her favour for the Jedi to believe.

All in all, things were going very well... until.

The day started out badly.

Malak woke in some degree of pain. It felt like indigestion from hell. He just wanted to go back to sleep, really... but he knew he couldn't do that. Sith don't get sick-days.

'Wake up! I don't get to sleep, neither do you.' Revan snapped in his mind.

'I don't feel well.'

'Join the club.'

'What's wrong with you?'

'Same as you. I felt like sharing.'

'Sharing what?'

'Think about it, I'm sure you'll work it out. You're not as stupid as the junior officers seem to think.' and with that, she cut off their communication, though the pain remained. Bitch. He had no idea what was wrong with her, beyond the fact it was clearly painful. But he didn't sense any danger, no fear from her... just resigned displeasure... like this happened regularly.

That was what made it click in his mind. Bloody hell. Sadistic witch. And Revan always was a great deal more dangerous, at the 'wrong time of the month'... so he knew that it effected her emotional balance, too. He really did wish he could block off their bond, so she couldn't share this with him... unfortunately, that was not an option.

With a groan, he pushed himself out of bed and began to get dressed. He would find some way to get revenge for this... he just wasn't sure how yet.

According to research done at the Sith Academy (mostly based on a torture method referred to as 'telepathic invasion' - a violation of the mind on a par with rape), the male body was not designed to experience this sort of... thing. Then again, Malak's connection to Revan wasn't the same thing - he had been willing.

He considered trying to Force choke her... but the thought was rejected the moment it entered his mind - she was much stronger in the Force than he was, there was no point in humiliating himself by trying a stunt like that. It still held some appeal, though.

He found Revan on the bridge of the Defiant. She had just killed some poor fool, whom Malak could sense from her had tried to question her orders - it was not a lieutenant's place to question orders, the Admiral was the only Force-blind allowed that privilege without severe consequences.

"Follow me, Malak." she said sharply, turning to leave the bridge, in the direction of her 'office'.

It was as she swept past him that he noticed the detestable presence of Derrin, nearby. Tyr also stood on the bridge.

"What's her problem?" Tyr asked quietly.

"How should I know?" Derrin retorted, shrugging and deciding to try to be funny, "PMS?"

"Sith Lord with PMS? Scary thought." Tyr muttered.

"Yeah, you get a week of bloodshed, and not much of it hers." Derrin joked.

Malak threw a bolt of lightning at Derrin - nothing fatal though, Revan would really pitch a fit if he killed their pet Jedi-spy. Derrin yelped, and Malak turned to leave the bridge, satisfied that he had inflicted pain on the most irritating creature in the galaxy.

He distinctly heard Tyr mutter to Derrin, "Well what's his excuse then?" as he left.

x x x

Revan went on about some overly complex strategy, for about half an hour. The basics of it were one portion of the fleet would create a distraction in one system... and Malak would command the assault on the next system, in which there was a military training facility - he would order its surrender, and if they refused he would destroy the installation.

Kinda foolproof, really. Derrin would be with Revan's part of the fleet, creating the distraction, so there weren't any purposeful fools to mess it up, either.

The distraction went as planned, and Malak ordered his part of the fleet to move in on the planet - Telos.

A hololink to the Military base on the planet was quickly established, and Saul stood proudly in view of it. The image that appeared in front of him was of a balding man in his early forties. He wore the uniform of a Republic Infantry Captain.

"This is Captain Dalgrae, what is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

"In the name of the Sith Empire Captain, I suggest that you lay down your arms and prepare to be occupied by the Sith Navy."

"And who are you?" Dalgrae demanded. He looked closer into the holograph. "You! What are you doing-"

"The same thing you were too weak to," Saul said dismissively. "Now, you can surrender your forces, or you can be taken by force. Your choice."

"I will not betray the Republic like you, traitor!" Dalgrae spat.

"Then that shall be your epitaph," Saul said menacingly. With that, he deactivated the commlink.

"They asked for it." Malak growled.

"Prepare the attack, as per Lord Revan's instruction-" Karath began, but Malak interrupted.

"No - destroy the whole city - leave the militia base to last, but make sure no one from the base gets away alive."

He didn't care that it was utterly impractical to leave them to last and expect no one to have the common sense to run away. The fools were willing to give their lives for their idiocy - their friends and families were another matter entirely - it would serve the morons right for saying 'no' to the Sith.

The captain stared at Malak, dumbstruck.

"Sir, the city is harmless - they're only civilians!" one lieutenant said, horrified.

Malak turned on the lieutenant, "If I hear anyone else question my orders, they will be travelling back to the rendezvous point with the rest of the fleet on the outside of the Leviathan, tied onto the tail of the ship by their own intestines." he snarled, "You-" he pointed to the terrified lieutenant, "-should feel very lucky you won't make such an eyesore."

With that, the idiot that dared question his orders was lifted off the ground by the Force around his throat, and thrown violently into a durasteel pillar, which snapped his spine and killed him instantly.

"Now do as I command." he ordered the rest of the crew. Karath decided he liked his intestines where they were, thankyouverymuch, and started giving orders to coordinate the attack. Malak was aware of the captain's disgust - a Force-blind womp-rat would have spotted it - but at least he knew how to follow orders.

In the back of his mind, Malak knew this attack really was too much, but he pushed that thought away out of a vicious desire to see these fools suffer for refusing to obey the Sith. It certainly felt good to watch the people below burn for their mistake.

The city was in ruins as the Republic forces began to arrive to try to salvage it. The final salvo was released at the militia base, and Malak ordered the fleet to retreat from the Republic reinforcements, and recall their ground-troops from the city. It certainly looked spectacular - the destruction was thorough.

'Quit this pointless massacring! And bring me some prisoners to make up for it!' Revan's voice shrieked in his mind, as the rest of their fleet dropped out of hyperspace in pursuit of the Republic reinforcements, and she got the chance see what was happening. She was so mad that she projected the demand to every Force-adept in the vicinity - he could tell, because the two other Force-adepts on the Leviathan's bridge cringed at it, too.

'I was already withdrawing my troops, Revan.' Malak retorted coldly.

'You just can't follow simple orders, can you?' Revan snarled in his mind only, now, 'You are so going to get it when you get back to my ship!'

x x x

When Malak returned to the Defiant, Revan personally threw him in the brig - lower level, which was more uncomfortable than the upper-level cells where the 'prisoners' she had demanded had been taken. She then had the sadism to assign HK-47 to - and I quote: "Guard him - if he attempts to escape, stun him - under absolutely no circumstances are you to either kill or permanently mutilate him."

Malak was not best pleased with being stuck in the presence of Revan's pet homicidal-droid.

Several hours in the brig (and several fist-shaped dents in the brig wall) later, Malak's temper had finally simmered down a bit.

"Observation: those walls are six-inch durasteel, your pathetic organic fists could not penetrate them unaided."

"Shut the hell up." Malak growled. He was now sitting in the corner of his cell, his face in his hands.

"Commentary: the Master specified no permanent mutilations... I do believe that human livers grow back."

Malak slowly looked up at HK-47, "Try it and I'll reprogram you with an unhealthy obsession for grilled bread-products, you walking tin-can."

"Query: why would one require such pointless programming?"

"To torture the droid in question." Malak hissed.

"Statement: I would find it most entertaining to grill bread-products, provided the tools used were flamethrowers, and the receptacles holding said bread-products were organic meatbags."

"Toasted meatbag sandwiches." Malak muttered, "You're utterly charming." he added sarcastically.

"Observation: sarcasm detected in previous statement. Query: why do organics insist on using this form of communication?"

"What? Talking? Or were you referring to sarcasm?"

"Clarification: I referred to sarcasm."

Malak tilted his head to one side, thinking about that one, "Because the stupider organics don't pick up on it, and make even more of a fool of themselves - sarcastic compliments are most effective for that form of humiliation."

"Extrapolation: previous statement sarcastically informing this unit of charm - had this unit not detected sarcasm, the error would degrade assumption of intelligence by observers. Sarcastic compliments are insults that if misinterpreted make the recipient appear more foolish. Definition and purpose of usage noted."

Malak raised an eyebrow - the droid was plotting to be sarcastic. Oh, Revan was going to love this... he didn't know if that thought should be sarcastic or not, though.

"Why do you hate organics?" Malak asked, after a moment's silence - mostly out of boredom, rather than any real desire to speak to the droid.

"Explanation: I do not 'hate' organics - hatred implies emotion, and droids do not feel emotion as you weak organics perceive. My programming is designed to draw satisfaction from witnessing organics being efficiently or creatively dispatched, preferably by myself, though also vicariously. A distain for organic life is essential to accommodate such homicidal programming."

"Bloodthirsty, aren't you?" Malak muttered.

"Negatory: I do not consume liquids for nutrition."

"This reprogramming I'm promising you will be done with a lightsaber. You'll look like a dilapidated toaster-oven by the time I'm through with you." Malak retorted, snarkily.

"Observation: you would not succeed in such an endeavour. You may attempt to do so, but you would fail most spectacularly."

"And what do you think of me?" Malak asked the droid - he was expecting something snide, really, since the droid so disliked organics.

"Statement: You are an insignificant organic meatbag."

"Meatbag?" Revan's voice asked, from the doorway - Malak couldn't see the door from his cell, so he had no idea how long Revan had been there, "I like that, HK - use that word more often. I'll hardwire it into your programming later."

She was laughing... she thought it was a great joke.

"It's not funny, Revan." Malak growled, glaring in the general direction her voice came from.

"Have you reeled in that temper of yours yet, Malak?" Revan asked coldly, as she stepped into view, her cloak and mask concealing her face as usual.

"What do you think, Revan?"

"I don't know - in case you hadn't noticed, I temporarily blocked off our bond, because the feedback loop of anger and venom I was experiencing was too much." she folded her arms and glared at him.

"It's not my fault you felt like sharing. If anyone here needs to learn to control their temper, I'm certainly not the only one."

Revan flicked her hand in a slapping motion, and Malak felt it across his face, snapping his head to the side.

Cute trick. Slapping the prisoner without releasing the forcefield. If that is possible, then it should be just as easy to use more damaging Force powers on caged victims, too. He made a note of that for future reference.

Malak put his hand to the side of his face where she had hit him, but didn't show any other reaction to it. He just stared at her, his anger had simmered down enough for him not to get mad at her for hitting him. She did it so often these days that he was actually beginning to like it.

"Have you any idea how much that little temper tantrum of yours screwed with my plans? Telos City was a potentially useful trade location. Some of its inhabitants might even have made useful recruits if occupation had been done in a not-too-hostile manner. But now, the few prisoners I have are a bunch of children, and you have left the city not only in ruins but in Republic hands as well!"

"You never told me not to attack the city." Malak said petulantly.

"I never expected you to do something so ridiculous and drastic!" Revan snarled. Malak winced at the psychic venom that accompanied her words. "Why did you do it?"

"The fools in the militia base were willing to die for their cause." Malak said coldly, "It wouldn't have hurt them as much to simply kill them alone. Killing their friends and family first, on the other hand..."

"Surprisingly rational considering the state of mind you were in when you did it." Revan said coldly. "It's still unacceptable. If you do something like this again, Malak, I will have to punish you much more severely."

"What? Making me endure the company of this maniacal mechanoid wasn't bad enough?"

Revan smirked under that mask of hers, and shook her head, "Believe me, I can think of much, much worse, Malak."

x x x 


	16. Pain

Falling For You

Author's Notes: Hmm, I just looked over SCHV, after I wrote this first scene out, and they contradict each other... not something I can account for by differing perspectives, either... oh well, I still have a chance to fix it - good thing I started writing this before I started chapter 14 (because I got stuck and this plot-bunny was in my head, so... live with it :p ).

JediGirl007: Glad you like it. Don't worry, I'm determined to finish this story, it's just a matter of how long I take rather than whether or not I do it.  
Firera: Yeah, he still has some light left in him... I plan to keep it that way as long as possibly - it's easier to write DS if they still have some good in them somewhere. Yeah, I always wanted to do that to a man, too - what woman hasn't?  
Pinguicha: LOL, yes I do that all the time (startle people in the same room as my computer with my cackling). And I didn't want to write a couple of characters having unprotected sex, and not mention consequences. Also, about PMS, see what I just said to Firera.  
Soldier of Darkness: That's how I felt about Malak, too. Carth was an acceptable romance plot, but when I found out I was Revan, I wanted to know what my relationship with Malak had been before he betrayed me... I was pissed that I couldn't ask him outright, in the game, if we'd been lovers.  
Dark Lord Daishi: Glad you like it.  
Darth Arachne: What SCHV quote? I don't remember quoting it, and if I did it was accidental. I'm glad you liked HK, though - I do enjoy writing it - unfortunately, it's not gonna reappear as often as I'd hoped, as it does need to disappear off before The Betrayal (otherwise Malak woulda had it scrapped.  
PadawanMage: I always try to respond to my reviews, to show how much I appreciate the feedback. Yes, Invisible Man was a brilliant show... just my other readers don't appear to have seen it. I don't wear the lenses when I'm writing - only for effect, at parties. If he hadn't rationalised it, he'd have hated Revan... it's too early for him to feel that way about her, yet. Yep, you're right about Selene. About HK, you flatter me - I'll try giving it more cameos, but I don't know if I can or not - I do suppose it needs to interact with Jawless!Malak, doesn't it? As for the Jaw Incident, read on... find out.  
Cantankerous 84: Thanks. Yes, love long reviews :hugs: keep 'em coming! I can't write without comedy in it - I've tried, this fic was supposed to be serious, damnit... lol! Glad you like the humour, though. You're the second person to make a comment on that level, regarding HK... I assure you, I am not a screenwriter, and I don't have my own HK droid sitting next to my computer - however, I am truly flattered by your comment... meatbag. Yes, that's who Selene was. Hey, I don't rule my muses - they decide how fast I can write - don't be impatient. Muse says "go play KotOR2 now, and stop wasting time on fanfics", so don't hold your breath for the next one.

This chapter's song was a close competition... part of me wanted to use the Masochism Tango: "Let our love be a flame, not an ember... say it's me that you want to dismember" I couldn't resist at least mentioning it. I swore to myself I'd not use two songs by the same singer/band... but these guys are just so good, and I couldn't find any other song besides to far-too-over-the-top song mentioned above, to fit the mood here.

"It should come as no surprise,  
That were you to see my eyes,  
You'd dart yours away before it's dreamtime.  
It may take a few tries,  
But you'll cut me down to size.  
And your sleek disguise of mourning won't have reason or rhyme.  
I'm gonna die some day,  
That's all that you never can say,  
You can listen close to me,  
Or just ignore my plea,  
But either way I'm gonna die some day.  
When problems of morality,  
Make an issue of mortality,  
A matter of how far gone one's mentality,  
There's just no escaping someone else's reality,  
No, I'm gonna die some day,  
That's all that you never can say,  
You can listen close to me,  
Or just ignore my plea,  
But either way I'm gonna die some day"  
-Common Rotation, Gone Dyin'.

x x x

Chapter 16 - Pain

Malak was let out of the brig that night, but not out of Revan's sight for the next few days. Weeks passed, and more and more Republic territory fell to the Sith Empire. Weeks passed into months, and the Jedi joined the war. Specifically, one Jedi who wreaked more havoc on Revan's battle plans than Malak's temper and Derrin's meddling combined.

Bastila Shan. A precocious Padawan with the incredibly rare gift of Battle Meditation. She proceeded to use it to great effect, driving Revan's fleet back to a standstill on several key battles.

Almost a year had passed since they found the Star Forge, and the galaxy should have been firmly in Revan's grasp by now. Would have been if it weren't for Bastila Shan.

x x x

"Another one? Why do we have to get involved in these battles?" Derrin whined, "Isn't that what underlings, minions, and henchmen are for?" The battle on the surface of the planet they were currently headed to was swinging in the Republic's favour, and they were in one of their shuttles, headed for the surface of the world. Revan didn't want to destroy the ground-based station, because it was too useful in one piece, so they were going in person to drive off the Jedi who were attempting to defend it, instead of blasting it from orbit (as Tyr and Malak had both suggested vehemently).

Malak looked up and glared at Derrin, "Believe it or not, that's what we are. Revan's the Master. Now if you're not going to be useful, then maybe you could go away and practice henching elsewhere?"

"Funny. Real funny." Derrin grumbled.

"Better than any joke you could come out with, horn-face." Malak growled.

"Look, I'm not trying to be annoying or anything. You know I gave that up when Revan went all Sithy. This is just how I am. Sor-ry."

Malak threw a low-volatage bolt of Force lightning at Derrin. Derrin made a sort of 'eep' sound.

"Boys! Don't kill each other." Revan chided. 'Malak, you know Derrin is not to be killed.' "Derrin, just shut up!" she snarled.

"Yes, Master." Derrin intoned, with the sort of false cheerfulness of a disobedient child accepting instructions from a teacher.

Malak just glared at the Zabrak, for a moment, before bowing his head to Revan, in a show of compliance.

The shuttle swooped down to the planet's surface, and landed pointedly on top of a random Jedi. Revan, Malak, Derrin and Tyr stepped off the shuttle. Tyr immediately leapt into the battle. Derrin looked around for a moment, before choosing a target, and joining the fight.

Revan watched the battle for a minute, gauging the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy... and, it seemed, her own soldiers, as well... then she slowly stepped down the embarkation ramp of the shuttle. Malak kept close to her - as far as he was concerned, this planet be damned, he was here to ensure no one took Revan by surprise and hurt her. Not that she needed defending, but he still kept close to her... last time they tried taking on the Battle Meditation girl's soldiers, Revan had actually ended up saving his life. Not that he felt he needed her protection or anything - of course not.

'Don't kid yourself, Malak.' Revan's thoughts rang through his mind, practically laughing at him.

'I hate when you do that.'

Even with the Dark Lord herself as backup, they were still losing. Even the common Republic soldiers were giving the Dark Jedi a hard time. One of them actually succeeded in wounding Malak's left arm, before the fool met a painful death on the wrong end of Malak's lightsaber.

'This is getting us nowhere.' Revan thought, as she defended herself against two unnaturally fast Jedi.

'What do you suggest?' Malak asked her, cutting down one of the offending Jedi from behind.

'I... I can't think of anything else we can do.' Revan thought, confusion and fear hitting him almost physically, though their bond.

Then he really was hit physically, by a lightsaber from behind. He spun round, and almost instinctively summoned all his anger to tap into the darkest powers he could reach - he drew the life energy from the Jedi who had attacked him... killing the unfortunate Jedi, and using the energy to heal his injury. It had been a glancing blow, mostly deflected by his armour, but it had still hurt enough.

'Now there's an idea...' Revan noted in the back of his mind, 'Thanks for the thought.'

He felt something powerful build up in her. The Force bond amplified his sense of it, sending shrieks of mind-numbing anger and rage echoing in his head. It took him a few seconds to seal himself off from her and stop seeing red. Bloody hell, what was that? It felt like... like using Force Rage - a dark skill Revan had taught him... except with one hell of a feedback loop... and the chance for him to shut it off once it had started.

Screams and death behind him drew his attention, and he turned to see Revan fighting like a maniac. Literally. She paid no heed to defence, but the multiple lightsaber strikes she endured didn't phase her - didn't even slow her down. Yep, definitely Force Rage.

And she proceeded to cut a swathe through their enemies, as Malak struggled to hold his own against one Jedi. One incredibly young Jedi, too. So young he must have been a Padawan, but he fought with such focus and control that he may as well have been a Master. No measly Padawan was going to bring Malak down, though. No damned way!

Malak focused on his single opponent, as more and more of the enemy threw their collective suicidal efforts into attacking Revan. She was like a force of nature - an unstoppable blaze of crimson lightsabers, whirling homicidally like a tornado. She was distracting the Padawan, but Malak kept his focus... that evened the odds slightly, but not enough - the Padawan still had the Battle Meditation on his side, and started pushing Malak back slowly, putting him on the defensive.

The hum of lightsabers, the smell of blaster fire and death, the fear anger and bloodlust in the air... he tuned it all out, narrowing down the galaxy to this one fight. This one persistent opponent who just refused to die. Stupid thing to do - stupid Jedi-like thing to do.

Malak stumbled as he stepped on the arm of a corpse, and staggered to one side to keep his balance, his lightsaber held defensively between himself and that one Padawan. A death-cry from his left drew some of his attention, and he turned to see the lightsaber-wielding whirlwind that was Revan approaching him. Her eyes were closed and she was simply killing all who got in the way of her blades.

And she was headed in this direction... very rapidly. By the time he realised this, she was within range, striking down the Jedi who Malak had been fighting, as her other blade arced towards Malak's throat.

He leaned back to avoid being decapitated, but he wasn't quite fast enough. It seemed like time itself slowed to a snail's pace, as he felt the searing pain of the lightsaber making contact with his jaw-line. His yell of pain was cut off and he tasted fire and blood. Suddenly, he couldn't breathe. Pain and fear clouded his mind, and he reached out blindly with the Force... this time purely instinctively, he drained the life essence from whoever was closest to him. He somehow knew it wasn't Revan, even as he did it.

Then he landed on his ass, and time returned to normal. He rolled onto his side, and reached his hand to his face... then immediately tried to scream, when he felt the severity of his injury. But, since the injury in question was a missing jaw, he couldn't scream. He could breathe through his nose - just about - but... even then he couldn't make a sound. His vocal chords must have been severed.

He felt the injury, cautiously. The worst of the pain and damage had been mended when he had drawn the life from- he looked up and counted- three Jedi. But his jaw was conspicuously absent. He scanned the ground for it. He might have vomited if he had been able, just thinking about what had just happened... but some rational thought in the back of his mind blocked such notions, on the grounds that vomiting through his nose would likely be even more nauseating.

He located the severed body-part quickly, but couldn't bring himself to reach out for it. Instead he just stared, dumbstruck, slowly pushing himself up to his knees. He couldn't believe what had just happened... he was in total shock.

"Hey, Malak!" the galaxy's most annoying voice jolted him out of his state of shock, and reality came hurtling back to Malak. He looked up to see Derrin fighting against two Jedi at once, and barely keeping his own limbs intact, "We're getting our collective asses handed to us! Pick your jaw up off the ground before the rest of your head joins it, and give us a hand!"

Delightful child. A slow and painful death is still far too good for him. Though the brat certainly had a point. Malak picked up his severed jaw - lightsabers are marvellous things, cauterised wounds were so much less messy - and stood shakily. He turned on the two Jedi Derrin was fighting, and all the anger, pain and resentment he felt at his recent mutilation flew from his fingertips as lethal lightning, frying the two unfortunate Jedi to a crisp.

"Wow... scary." Derrin muttered, staring at the well-cooked corpses.

Malak shot a glare at Derrin. Want to join them, horn-face? Of course, such thoughts cannot be conveyed without a telepathic link... but the sentiment was clear.

Derrin held up his hands in a gesture of surrender to Malak. As he did this, a ship flew overhead, fleeing the battlefield. A bolt of lightening from Revan just missed the ship, and the woman herself slumped, exhausted, against a wall. The battlefield was now void of life, save for a few surviving Sith soldiers, three dark Jedi whom Malak couldn't name, Tyr, Derrin, Malak, and Revan herself.

Several seconds of silence passed, before Revan seemed to recover, and walked over to Malak and Derrin. She stopped right in front of Malak, and stared at him for a minute, "What happened to your face?" she asked in a carefully measured tone - the sort of voice Jedi use when they want to pretend to be emotionless automatons.

Malak glared at her. Warily, he lowered his mental barriers... when he didn't feel the near-blinding screaming frothing rage in his mind, he relaxed slightly, 'Don't you remember?' he thought coldly.

She tilted her head to one side, "Perhaps we should return to the Defiant." she said quietly, "Secure the area." she snapped the order to Tyr, "Derrin, Malak, you follow me." her eyes flicked to Malak's left hand, which held his severed jaw - he was pointedly tuning out that detail in his mind, though. 'Perhaps the medic can help fix that...' She turned and led the way to the shuttle.

Tyr started barking orders to the soldiers around, sparing a moment to mutter as Malak passed him, "That looks painful." Malak scowled, but Tyr simply shrugged to show he only meant his comment in a dark parallel of sympathy, rather than to be snide. Malak chose to act as if he hadn't heard Tyr's remark.

As soon as he collapsed onto his seat on the shuttle, it took off. He was having a great deal of trouble breathing, and had to focus carefully to remain conscious. His injury still hurt like hell, in spite of the fact he had sucked the life out of three Jedi in his attempt to heal it. Although perhaps 'sucked' isn't the most appropriate word to use there.

'Now tell me what happened.' Revan ordered in Malak's mind. She had seated herself next to him, and he kept his eyes closed, trying to avoid her gaze.

'You should already know.' he replied, his thoughts imitating a low growl, to convey his anger.

'I was using Force Rage. I wasn't exactly focused on the details of what was going on around me. All I was really aware of was the taste of death in the Force.'

'I guess that explains it. I just got in your way.' Malak thought coldly, before shutting Revan quite forcibly out of his mind, once again. The sudden mental barriers he created had the effect on Revan of mentally running face-first into a permacrete wall.

She was totally stunned for a second, and tried to communicate with him telepathically again, to no avail. He was aware of her seething anger, but he also sensed that she felt hurt that he refused to listen to her. Well he had every right to be mad at her, after what she had done.

The rest of the flight passed in cold and uneasy silence.

x x x

When they got to the Defiant, Revan stormed off in the opposite direction from the medbay. Malak was relatively grateful for this, as he didn't want her around, anyway. At this moment, he actually preferred Derrin's company... which is saying something about exactly how mad he was at Revan.

"You're pissed at Revan, aren't you?" Derrin asked. Malak glared at him. "I did see what happened. Don't blame you, really. Seems pretty heartless, if you ask me."

Oh great... stuck with Derrin, and no way to yell at him. Murder was always an option... so was Force lightning... or Force grip... but he was expending all his strength in the Force to keep walking, to avoid collapsing in an exhausted heap on the floor.

"I know all about how you and Revan are... well, you know-"

Malak reached out and whacked Derrin on the back of the head, low enough to miss the horns.

"Heh, sorry." Derrin muttered, rubbing the back of his head, "I'm just saying, why'd she do something like that to someone she... does she actually love you?"

Very good question, Derrin. Malak thought, bitterly... though careful not to project the thought - he was still keeping Revan locked out of his mind.

"Oh, right, you can't talk." Derrin said, in self-depreciating tone. At least he actually admitted he was an idiot, sometimes. "Well, what I'm saying is, it seems a lot worse to have the Evil Deeds done to you, doesn't it?"

Pain was nothing new to Malak, really... but this was much worse than usual. Derrin was right that it was worse to be on the wrong end of that sort of callousness.

They reached the door to the medbay, and Malak tried to get Derrin to leave by making a 'shoo' gesture... when that didn't work, he tried threats of Force lightning by letting sparks dance between his fingertips. That also failed to get rid of the obnoxious brat.

Malak glared for a second, then whacked Derrin across the face, hard, with his free hand. Derrin clutched the side of his face, and muttered, "But Revan wanted me to make sure you got to the medbay in one piece... well, relatively-" Derrin's prattling was cut short by Malak's second punch, to the Zabrak's chin, making him bite his own tongue.

Before Derrin could react, Malak turned and stalked into the medbay, sealing the door behind him and locking Derrin out.

x x x

It had been eight hours and forty-two minutes since Malak had entered the medbay. He had been conscious throughout the procedure, because he wanted to know exactly what was being done to him. He decided quite definitively that he loathed local anaesthetics - they did nothing to detract from the awareness through the Force of the work the medic was doing on his face. That awareness, while not physical pain, was strong enough to be incredibly uncomfortable.

He was most displeased with the end-result.

After hours of trying to reattach the severed jaw, the medic finally convinced Malak that it was impossible. Probably would have given up sooner if the patient hadn't been conscious and demanding (by typing on a datapad which then spoke for him) that there must be some way to fix it. They even tried a coordinated effort, using some of the Force-tricks Malak knew... but it was utterly hopeless.

There were several reasons why it failed. Among them were the details that Malak had used the Force to heal over the wound... the wound had been cauterised anyway, which couldn't have helped... and the jaw had landed in the mud, which was not very hygienic.

When Malak had finally conceded that it was irreparable... and while he distracted himself by sulking on this subject... the new Star-Forge-made medbot had installed an implant on Malak's throat. A voice-synthesiser. He hadn't tried using it, yet, though it had made it much easier to breathe. Theoretically, he should be able to speak again easily enough.

The implant was derived from the Star Forge technology, thanks to the new medbot. That gave it an intuitive element that most technology didn't possess - it was in tune with the Force, to a very limited degree. It was connected to the severed nerve-endings, so it detected the signals that would normally have told his mouth to open, vocal chords to vibrate and tongue to move... it took some intelligent programming to interpret those signals, and that was where the Star Forge technology came in.

Right now, Malak was staring - no, glaring - at the floor in front of him. His hands covered the lower half of his face, and he was contemplating ways to conceal his hideous disfigurement. A mask, like that which Revan wore, would make it look like he was just trying to copy her. The half-masks which other Sith wore wouldn't work - the fabric would not hide the fact that he lacked a jaw, only cover up the scars.

He would need to test the implant eventually... however, that would mean accepting this. Accepting that he would never again be able to taste... or kiss... or- hey, wait a second! There is one very important detail that had gone unnoticed before now. He looked up towards the door to the medic's office, and called out, "Medic?" He was startled when the implant spoke the word clearly for him, even though he hadn't actually intended to say it. He wanted to call attention to himself, so had spoken instinctively.

"Well, it appears the implant works." the medic noted, re-entering the room and approaching the- how many times must I tell you, it's a table- on which Malak sat.

"How am I supposed to eat like this?" Malak demanded. The metallic voice sounded so alien to him. It was very disconcerting.

"Yes, I have been thinking about that." the medic said calmly, "I think we can work something out. You won't be able to eat normally, but it will allow you to ingest food. It will take another surgery, however, and we should wait for a few hours to ensure that you are fit for it." Malak rolled his eyes at that. Surgeons could be so paranoid, sometimes. "So, how are you feeling?"

"I'm just fine considering I can't breathe or eat." Malak replied snidely.

"Well, at least you can speak now. And you could breathe when you came in here, so don't be so pessimistic." Malak turned a vicious glare on the medic, for that comment. "What I meant, when I asked, was is there any pain?"

"Yes. Nothing serious, though." Malak said bluntly. He reached a hand up to rub idly at the scars on his face. The only pain he was feeling was an echo of sensation in his jaw. It was physically impossible for it to be real pain, and he knew it both in his mind and in the Force - because of that, he could ignore it easily enough.

"Very well." the medic said, nodding, "If you need me, I'll be in my office. I shall arrange your surgery in a few hours. All right?"

Malak just gave the medic a sulky look, as if to say 'I really don't have much of a choice, do I?' ... but he didn't actually say anything. The medic turned and left the room again.

As the door closed behind the medic, Malak caught sight of his own reflection in the mirror above the sink. He stood, slowly, and walked the couple of steps over to the mirror, examining the damage to his face closely.

The word 'hideous' was an understatement. The scars were utterly repulsive, and the implant wasn't exactly easy on the eyes, either. When he tried to open his mouth, a light blinked on the implant... and he could still feel the edges of his jaw, where it hadn't been removed completely, move slightly.

His upper lip and teeth, and the roof of his mouth were all undamaged... but that was no consolation for the fact that the other half of his mouth was completely absent, really. He slowly drew his eyes away from the horrific sight, to meet the eyes of his reflection. Something else about his physical appearance that he had pointedly refused to acknowledge - the fact his eyes gleamed an inhuman golden colour. He really was a monster, now.

With an angry snarl, he backed away from the mirror. The wave of pure anger hitting his reflection, cracking the mirror with the Force. He suddenly felt exhausted... just couldn't stand it... he let himself fall back, landing on the edge of the table-that-wants-to-be-a-bed. He sighed, and slowly bowed his head so his hands covered his face, elbows resting on his knees.

At that moment, he heard the doors hiss open, and footsteps enter the medbay. Malak didn't look up. "How are you feeling?" Revan's voice asked from behind him, her tone gentle, almost as if she cared.

Malak didn't look up, or even move a muscle, simply said, "I can speak again." that metallic tone in his voice really would take some time to get used to. Force, he didn't want to get used to it - he wanted his own voice back!

Revan took two more steps into the room, and said quiet pointedly, "I asked how you feel. I already received the report on your physical condition from the medbot."

'How the fuck do you think I feel!' He was still quite deliberately locking her out of his mind, however, so she wouldn't have heard that thought, "I've just had my jaw cut off." he snarled aloud, turning to face her, too angry to care if she saw his face, "I'm sure you can guess how I'm feeling."

She stared at him for what seemed like an eternity, taking in every detail of his grotesque appearance. She had seen his injury earlier, but didn't seem to have really looked at it - she probably assumed it would be healed and was nothing to be bothered by. Now, however, he could sense the mild horror from her as she looked at him.

Eventually, she seemed to find her voice, and whispered, "I'm sorry, Malak."

He turned away from her, glaring viciously at the floor so as to avoid seeing his reflection in the cracked mirror in front of him. He heard a soft rustling behind him, then a clink of metal. Seconds later, Revan's booted feet were standing on the spot of floor he was trying to glare at.

"It wasn't my fault." Revan murmured.

Malak looked up at her, slowly. She had taken off her mask, and her eyes showed some genuine concern... though not much, and certainly not enough to quell his anger. "How was it not?" he snarled venomously, "It was your blade, in your hand."

"You know how Force Rage works." Revan said quietly, "You saw me sink into it, you should not have stepped in my way."

"I was backed toward you by a Jedi." Malak growled, "He was stronger than the rest. And that cursed Battle Meditation made it worse!"

Revan sighed and sat next to Malak, who turned to glare at her again. "I had no way of distinguishing you from an enemy, in that state." she said, her tone almost pleading. Begging him not to blame her, not to hate her. "You've used Force Rage yourself, you know that."

Malak turned his glare back on the innocent and defenceless spot of floor. He wanted to hate her, why shouldn't he? She did this to him, deliberately or not, he had every right to hate her!

"It was an accident, Malak." she whispered, her tone weak, still pleading.

He should just tell her to bugger off and stay the hell away from him. He really should. But he couldn't stay mad at her when she dropped her defences like this... when she as good as begged. "Don't do it again." he said, his tone half pleading, half trying to sound threatening - the combination didn't work too well.

"Don't do what, exactly?" Revan asked him, confusion evident in her voice.

He looked up at her, his gaze intense, unwavering even in the face of one he knew to be more powerful, "Force Rage. Don't do it again." he said, ice in his voice.

A wave of indignant hurt crashed over Malak, as Revan's confusion evaporated and her eyes sharpened, "We would have lost that battle, and the whole war, if I hadn't!" she snapped.

Malak looked away again, anger and resentment seething in him, drowning out his near-instinctive desire not to upset his lover. He couldn't argue with her, but he could even less readily agree with her after what she had done to him.

"It was an accident, Malak." Revan murmured softly, "I still love you."

'Why not just run that lightsaber of yours right through my heart and be done with it, angel?' She may as well have done, those words certainly hit him hard enough. There was no way she could love him, not after all she had done to him... saying she did was just rubbing salt in the wounds. She couldn't possibly still love him.

"If that were true, you would have had the will not to turn your Force Rage on me, even accidentally, it wouldn't happen. Didn't you once say 'love conquers all'?"

Revan closed her eyes, hurt showing on her face, eyes moving rapidly as she calmed herself. It looked like she was trying not to cry... but she hadn't cried for anything since Genie, he must be imagining it. Once she opened her eyes again, she directed an icy look at him and said, "Malak, if I didn't love you, you'd never have got away with your screw-up at Telos."

That certainly didn't make him believe her. If she'd loved him, she would never have left him locked in the brig for five hours, with HK-47 guarding him.

Revan tried to move closer to him, but he backed away. He didn't want her to touch him. Not now. He was a hideous monster. Even if she did love him, she couldn't possibly want to touch this deformed visage.

Before he could put any distance between them, however, he felt Revan's hand on the back of his head, putting a stop to his retreat. Their eyes met, for a moment, and he felt her tear down, with near-physical force, all the mental barriers he had constructed. She looked into his mind and soul, and saw exactly what he felt and thought - all his pain and fear.

Slowly, not breaking eye contact, she leaned closer to him. Her lips brushed against his cheek, and he saw her eyes close. His own eyes closed as well, as he felt her kiss down the side of his face, her lips and tongue touching the edges of the scars there.

She moved to sit astride him, now kissing his neck. He truly wanted to just give in and let her do whatever she wanted to him, let her continue to abuse him in any creative new ways she could concoct, let her wholly own him... just to feel her touch, her kiss, her mind, her soul. But something in the back of his mind made him push her away. He didn't really believe that she still loved him... and he couldn't really let her have him if she didn't love him. "Revan, please. I... I need time to think about this."

Revan gave him a hurt look that almost made him want to take back what he had just said. But the resigned and pained tone in her voice when she replied, "I understand." cut even deeper than what he saw in her eyes. He locked her out of his mind again, and turned away from her.

Quietly, her footsteps barely audible, Revan made her way around to the door. A hiss of metal against metal, without her even breaking stride, told him she had collected her mask on her way out. He heard the door hiss behind him, and he was alone again.

And for the first time since he was a child, he felt genuinely alone.

x x x 


End file.
